A Strange Adventure
by inukagome15
Summary: OC. A strange girl is found running for her life from a strange shadow. Inuyasha and comp. find her but never dream it would turn out to be so much trouble. Now, they are locked in an epic battle with her enemies, who are neither human nor demon.
1. Prologue

**This has been completely reedited from the first time I wrote it. Namely, it was too boring and dull and did not meet my expectations. It was also my first chapter on this site. Now, I am much more experienced. The summary has been changed as well. One thing that does not change however, is my thanks to Kitty008 for helping me get the first chapter submitted to the site!! Thanks a bunch!!  
**

**I hope it's better now and please enjoy. : )**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha but I do own any original characters that I may create and this plotline.  
**

* * *

"Come on, Kagome," the hanyou, or half-demon, whined. "It doesn't take _that_ long to get your stuff ready."

"If you wouldn't be so impatient, Inuyasha," Kagome huffed, stuffing yet another item into her already overstuffed backpack, "you'd know it's called, 'being prepared'. The best travelers do this."

Inuyasha bit back a retort and waited impatiently. They had been sitting in front of the hut for the past hour waiting for Kagome to be "prepared". Everyone was getting rather tired of it.

"Finished yet, Kagome?" A dark-haired woman peered into the hut. She saw her friend trying to fit a huge plastic bag into the backpack. "You know, you might want to give that bag some room to breathe."

"I assume she isn't finished yet, Sango?" a blue-robed man asked his companion. He had a staff in one hand.

"No, Miroku, not yet." Sango stepped back from the hut to strap a huge boomerang onto her back. "But judging from the size of that backpack and how full it is already, I do think we'll be going soon, though."

"Even the others are impatient," Inuyasha grumbled, his hand resting on the hilt of an old sword.

"Fine, then! I'm finished!! Happy now?" Kagome strapped her backpack onto her back and hefted it up. "Ooh. It's heavy."

"Well, it's too late now," Inuyasha said firmly. "We're going."

"It better not be another rumor," a small boy with a tail said. "It's getting tiring chasing after each and every rumor of the Shikon jewel."

"Still, it's best to be sure," Sango said. "You can't be sure what's true and what isn't."

"True. With Naraku still on the loose and jewel fragments scattered about, we need to get our hands on every single one," Miroku pointed out. "Come on, Kirara."

A two-tailed feline with red eyes meowed and jumped onto Sango's shoulder.

"You make it sound like we're the bad guys," Inuyasha said.

"Are we?" The others stared at him. "Just joking."

* * *

"Why am I the one--" Inuyasha grunted as he swung a huge fang through the air. "--who always has to do the dirty work?!"

"You can do it, Inuyasha!!" Kagome encouraged him. "Waste that youkai!!"

"Are you even sane?" Inuyasha called back.

"What the--?!" Kagome cried indignantly. "Of course I'm sane!!"

"Doesn't seem like it." Inuyasha jumped up into the air and swung down the sword, cutting the ferocious centipede he was battling into half. "Ha! Sango, now!!"

"Huh? Oh yeah." Sango readied her boomerang and threw it, crying out, "Hiraikotsu!!"

The boomerang flew towards the centipede, completely annihilating it as it did so. It joined the graveyard of centipedes that Inuyasha had already destroyed with his huge fang.

"Great job!!" Shippo cheered.

"Nothing compared to Naraku," Inuyasha said. His sword suddenly blazed up in yellow light and turned into a dull, rusty, old sword. He sheathed it. "Let's just go. There are obviously no jewel shards here."

The friends turned to go but stopped when cheering was heard. They saw a group of villagers celebrating the demise of youkai that Inuyasha had destroyed.

"Great job!!" an old man cheered. He stepped forward and said, "Those youkai have been plaguing my village for ages and have eaten several villagers already. How can we repay you?"

"No need," Inuyasha started but was cut off by Miroku.

"Perhaps some supplies to tide us over on our journey," Miroku suggested. He ignored Inuyasha's glare.

"Do you think we should let him?" Sango whispered to Kagome.

"Why not?" Kagome whispered back. "As long as he doesn't put the stuff in my backpack it's fine."

"Instead of supplies why not a feast?"

"Huh?" Kagome and Sango blinked at the reception this request seemed to get. "A feast?"

Ten minutes later they were all seated in a huge house with plenty of food before them.

"How did it get to this?" Inuyasha mumbled, picking up his chopsticks. He started attacking a fish. "I mean, one moment Miroku is asking for supplies and then the guy ups it up to a feast."

"Consider ourselves lucky, I suppose," Kagome said, taking a bite from some rice. "This isn't bad."

"It's delicious!" Shippo declared, wolfing down his food in five seconds flat.

Miroku consumed his at a much more leisurely pace. "Let's just enjoy this and start out again later."

"Why not stay the night?" the old man, who was the head of the village, suggested.

"I really must decline," Miroku said nobly.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and muttered, "Sure. I bet you're aching to lie down under a roof and this noble act is just a facade for your monkly nature."

Miroku gave him an injured glance which Inuyasha returned with a steadfast stare. The monk sighed, shook his head, and continued his meal. Sango glanced at this exchange in amusement.

Two hours later, the group was ready to head out. Miroku had again declined the head man's kind invitation to stay the night and they were ready to travel again.

"Where's the rumor anyway?" Inuyasha asked.

"That was the rumor," Kagome replied. Shippo was riding on her shoulder.

"Just our luck," Inuyasha grumbled. "Those centipedes weren't even enough to give me a workout. Heck, even that mangy wolf is better than that."

"If you say that, next thing you know Koga'll be here and sniffing Kagome up," Shippo warned.

"Hey!!" Kagome exclaimed indignantly.

"I'm sure he didn't mean anything, Kagome," Sango said, smiling.

Kagome stopped and took a breath. Then she said, "I sense something. It's coming..." She searched for a moment before pointing into the woods. "...it's coming from over there."

* * *

"Everything ready?" a dark voice rasped.

A shadowy figure lurked in the shadows. A brief red light flashed.

"Good. Prepare to head out. She must not escape. I have waited too long." A loud shriek wrenched the foggy air and the dark, writhing shape laughed. "Soon, my dear, soon, you shall be at our mercy." A dark chuckle came. "And how I will enjoy that moment."

* * *

**Please tell me how I did by reviewing!! It may not be very long but it's a prologue so it isn't necessary. The real action will start in the next chapter. I might reedit the third chapter a bit if I can.**

* * *


	2. The Strange Girl

**OK, I hope you guys like this second chapter!!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha and all that other jazz. The only things I do own are the computer I'm typing this on and the nose tissues because of my cold and the characters I create.**

**We left the group as Inuyasha and Comp. were discussing their next move and a strange pair of eyes was watching them.**

* * *

Inuyasha leaped through the air, Kagome on his back. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo flew besides them, riding on a transformed Kirara's back. Transformed, Kirara looked much the same except for the fact that she had two large canines like a saber-toothed tiger and her paws were covered in flames. Sango's outfit had also changed. Instead of her green skirt and two-colored shirt, she wore a pink and black outfit that covered her from shoulders to feet. It was made up of both armor and cloth. She had two shoulder plates covering the shoulders (where else would shoulder plates go?) Her feet were covered in a pink material and her knees were also protected by armor. Her hair was tied back in a large ponytail and she had a sword sitting on her hip.

"How much further, Kagome?" Inuyasha called. They had broke camp while discussing their next move when Kagome had said that she sensed a Shikon jewel fragment.

Kagome screwed up her eyes in concentration. She replied, "Not much further. It's really tainted, though."

Inuyasha muttered under his breath, "What else is new?"

"Is it over there, Kagome?" Sango asked. She pointed towards a huge cloud of fog that covered a section of the forest. The other hand held her boomerang to her back.

"Yes."

"All right!!" Inuyasha landed on the ground and veered sharply to the right. He started running in earnest. Colors flew by him and Kagome as he covered the distance with ease. Kirara had difficulties in keeping up with him.

* * *

Sharp, ragged breaths tore through her throat as she struggled to get away from the being that assaulted her. It was dark and shadowy with no clear features besides the gaping teeth that sought to devour everything in its path. 

She kept moving over the white floor. Her surroundings were completely white and there seemed to be no floor or ceiling. The only figures in the world were the dark shadow and the stumbling girl.

"What is it," she gasped, "about this thing? It never was so strong!!"

She tripped over her own feet and not having the strength to get up started to scramble away as fast as she could. However, due to her sorry state, this wasn't very fast at all. The dark shadow started to loom over her and she rolled over, too tired to crawl anymore. She closed her eyes and waited for it to all be over.

* * *

"I don't like this," Inuyasha called out, running closer to the fog. "It smells foul and damp." His nose twitched. "There are _things_ inside it. They don't smell too nice." 

"Isn't fog supposed to smell like that?" Kagome said, aggravated. "It's probably in the middle of a swamp or marsh and you're smelling something that a youkai did in it."

"It doesn't smell like that," Inuyasha insisted. "I know what a youkai smells like, all right?"

Shippo shook his head and thought, '_They're at it again._' Suddenly, his nose twitched, too, and he said out loud, "Inuyasha, do you smell that?"

"Smell what?" the hanyou's nose twitched as he tried to probe further. "Ah, I smell it. Smells like…..hmm….not sure what it smells like."

"Smell what?" Miroku said.

"It smells like a human yet not a human," Inuyasha explained. "It also has a multitude of other scents."

With one more bound Inuyasha covered the remaining distance between him and the fog. He leapt into it without a second's thought, Kirara following him. All of a sudden, Inuyasha could no longer feel the grass beneath his feet. There was no sky and instead, the fog reached out endlessly. He stopped and let Kagome down. He put a hand on his sword.

"Is something wrong, Inuyasha?" Sango asked from Kirara's back.

"I can't feel the ground," Inuyasha said. He was looking at his feet as if they had lost feeling in them. "There's no grass."

"That's impossible," Miroku said confidently.

Kagome was inspecting the ground. She had her hand on it and was running it along the foggy bottom. She suddenly pushed down with her hand and found herself floating upside down.

"AAAH!!!" Kagome yelped.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried. He flipped her around and set her on her feet. He then looked at the ground suspiciously. "What happened?"

"It's like there's no ground," Kagome said, her voice quivering. "I just pushed down on it and completely flipped!!"

"An ominous sign," Miroku commented. He got off Kirara's back and held his staff at the ready. "We have to be ready for anything. Kagome, how much further is the jewel shard?"

Kagome looked around. She then pointed straight ahead. "It's there!!"

"With a smell," Inuyasha said with a grimace. "Ugh!! It smells like dead corpses and I don't know what else!!"

"It must be the work of the shard," Miroku said. "Let's hurry."

The friends ran off into the mist without a second's thought. Inuyasha had his sword ready to be drawn at a moment's notice and Kagome had her bow ready with an arrow begging to be shot. Sango's boomerang was in perfect throwing position and Miroku held his staff like it was a fighting stick. As for Shippo? He was just clutching Kirara's back for dear life, praying that whatever it was wouldn't get him first.

Suddenly, Inuyasha stopped and drew his sword. It was a rusty, battered old thing until it transformed in a blaze of golden light. It was then a huge fang with a hilt of white fur. It pulsated and started to form swirls of wind around the blade.

"Everybody stay back," Inuyasha warned. He lifted his sword up and brought it down in one fluid sweep shouting, "Kaze no Kizu!!" (A/N For those wondering that's the Wind Scar in Japanese)

Four bright golden lights swept across the ground ahead of the group. A loud unearthly shrieking was heard as the lights struck their target.

"There!!" Miroku shouted. "Come on, you ugly youkai!! Show your face!!"

"Don't make me throw this!!" Sango yelled. She held her boomerang in throwing mode.

"Hang on," Kagome said. She was peering through the thick mist. "What's that?"

"Eh?" Inuyasha looked, too. There was no mark where the Kaze no Kizu had swept across the ground but a dark shape was writhing in pain in midair. A second shape was lying on the "ground" right in front of it, not moving.

"Now it's my turn," Miroku said. He put his hand in his navy blue robe and drew out two papers with squiggly lines. He closed his eyes and then opened them throwing the paper. "Sacred sutras!!"

The sutras attached themselves to the youkai and a bright blue light like lightning emerged from the contact. Sizzling, the youkai turned around and attacked the group in a mad rage. Now they could fully comprehend its ugliness.

"Ewww!!" Kagome cried.

Inuyasha swore and put himself protectively in front of Kagome. He held his sword at the ready. The thing was uglier than any of them could ever imagine. Dark writhing shapes crawled over its already dark surface and two shapes that could pass as hands reached out towards them. Its fingers were sharp and deadly and its face had no visible eyes but teeth that looked like a mummy's only much sharper.

It shrieked its unearthly shriek again and hurled itself at Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha's sword again started to form swirls around it and he lifted it up shouting out the battle cry as he brought it down. "Kaze no Kizu!! Take that, you ugly thing!!"

The Kaze no Kizu again struck the being and supposedly annihilated the thing.

Kagome cried out, "The jewel shard!! It disappeared!!"

Inuyasha's ears perked up as he looked at Kagome disbelievingly. "Whaddya mean?"

"I mean it disappeared, stupid!!" Kagome replied angrily. "It disappeared right after you attacked that thing with your Tessaiga!!" (A/N That really is how you spell Inuyasha's sword's name)

"So it was in that monster?" Inuyasha asked stupidly.

"Where _else_ would it be? In the fog?!"

"No," Inuyasha said, swinging his sword and putting it on his shoulder. Kagome looked relieved. "I thought it'd be in the dark shape that youkai was attacking." Kagome looked furious again.

"Somehow," Miroku intervened, "I'm not so sure that was a youkai." Inuyasha looked at him strangely. "It gave off a demonic aura but I've never sensed one like that," he elaborated.

"Strange how one who is such a lecher can be so knowledgeable," Sango said sarcastically.

"Now, now, Sango," Miroku said. "I may be a lecher but I am a monk."

"Why don't you guys stop fighting for once and see what that shape is?" Shippo asked from his safe perch on Kirara's back. "It has to be important because that youkai was attacking it."

Inuyasha put his Tessaiga in its sheath, transforming it back to its original form as he did so. "Shippo's got a point," he admitted.

Slowly, the hanyou and Kagome approached the shape on the "ground". As they drew closer Kagome noted that it was a girl. She seemed to be in adolescence and had black hair. It had been tied back in a ponytail but most of it had escaped. She wore queer blue clothes. In a way it looked similar to what Inuyasha was wearing but less baggy. It clung more to her skin but it was ripped in several places.

"The poor girl," Kagome cried out. She rushed to her side and lifted the strange girl's head. She was unconscious but breathing. Scratches covered her face and the skin that was under the ripped parts of her clothes.

"I'd be careful, Kagome," Sango advised. She still held her boomerang at the ready. "We don't know why the youkai attacked her."

"For the last time," Miroku said, exasperated, "I don't think that was a youkai!! Its aura was too strange!!"

"Then what would you call it?" Inuyasha asked. "The-dark-shape-lurking-in-the-shadows-with-a-demonic-aura-but-it's-not-a-youkai?" He said it very quickly and all in one breath.

"No, I wouldn't call it that, Inuyasha," Miroku said. "It's way too long." Inuyasha looked astonished that Miroku had taken him for his word.

"Come on," Kagome said, "we need to get out of here."

"Yeah, but, which way is out of here?" Inuyasha asked, looking around. "Everything looks the same."

"Eh?" Kagome looked shocked. "You don't know the way out of here?"

"No, I thought you knew," Inuyasha said.

"Can't you sniff your way out?" Sango asked. Inuyasha twitched his nose and shook his head. "Why not?" she persisted.

"The only thing I can smell is us and the damp," he said.

"Same here," Shippo said.

"Go ahead," a weak voice broke in.

"Eh?" everybody said. They all looked at the girl in Kagome's arms. She was awake.

"Hurry, before it comes back," she said weakly.

"You mean it's not dead?" Inuyasha asked.

"No, it teleported," she replied.

"Which way is out?" Kagome asked the semi-conscious girl.

She attempted to get up on one elbow and partly succeeded. She closed her eyes while everybody fidgeted.

"That way," she said, pointing to the left. "I can feel the sun's warmth."

"You can feel what?" Shippo said incredulous.

There was no reply because the girl had fainted again.

"We can't just leave her here," Kagome said pleadingly, looking at Inuyasha out of big brown eyes.

"Feh," Inuyasha said, annoyed. "Fine, I'll carry both of you."

Kagome beamed. Several minutes later, the group headed to the left in the direction which the strange girl had pointed out to them.

* * *

She regained consciousness slowly. She didn't want to open her eyes. Her head throbbed and the numerous scratches she had accumulated on her body burned. She was struggling with the decision to fall asleep again or to find out if the party that had rescued her made it out alive. 

'_No way around it, I guess,_' she thought, as she opened her eyes a crack. It was night. She opened them wider and found herself covered with a blanket. She got up slowly because it was still painful to move.

She found herself looking at a huge two-tailed feline sleeping only a few feet away. The two-tailed cat was sheltering a girl with long hair who was sleeping peacefully. On the other side of the cat was a strange looking man with a ponytail. In a strange bag by a bush was yet another girl. She wore a strange outfit and had a small boy with a tail sleeping with her.

'_There's one missing,_' she thought, remembering the rough voice she had heard yell before a yellow light knocked her senseless. Her thought was answered as she heard a soft _thump_ behind her and turned around to see a white-haired young man with dog ears.

"You're awake," he said.

"Thanks for saving me," she answered.

"I was after the jewel shard," he said.

"Jewel shard?" she asked, not knowing what he was talking about. "You mean like a piece of jewelry?"

"Don't tell me you've never heard of the Shikon jewel," he said disbelievingly.

She shook her head. "What is it?" Suddenly an image popped into her head. "Is it a large pink round jewel?"

"Oh, so you do know it," the strange man said. He crossed his legs, folded his arms inside his shirt and leaned back against a nearby tree.

"No, you just gave me the image," she said.

"_I_ gave you the image?" he asked, suspicious.

"Never mind. What's your name?" she inquired.

"Inuyasha," he answered. "How are your scratches?"

She put a hand up to her face feeling them tenderly. "I'll live. Considering how strong it was, I was lucky to not have been killed."

"We'll talk in the morning," Inuyasha said. "Get some sleep. You look like you need it."

"What are you?" she asked, ignoring his statement.

"I said get some sleep!!" Inuyasha said roughly. He got up and leapt to the first branch in the tree before settling down.

"Weird," she muttered and heard him mutter the same thing. She smiled, and lay down. As she closed her eyes she thought tiredly, '_There'll be time for answers tomorrow._'

* * *

**OK!! That's it for Chapter 2: The Strange Girl. What do you think? Reviews are always welcome!!**

**I'll try to update soon!**


	3. Miya

**All right!! Here is Chapter 3!! Please read and review!!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own ANYTHING from this anime or manga except the storyline and the characters I make up. The rest belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.**

* * *

Kagome opened her eyes slowly and yawned, stretching. It was a beautiful morning and the little fox youkai next to her was still sleeping. She crept out of her sleeping bag slowly so as not to wake up Shippo. She gazed around the camp seeing that everybody else was still sleeping and looked up to see Inuyasha sleeping in a tree. Then her eyes fell on the strange girl that they had rescued the other day. She was still sleeping and the scratches she had on her face and body were still red and fresh. Kagome shivered as she thought what the girl had to go through being chased by the monster.

She went over to her backpack and opened it. She took out a pot and went about the area gathering the materials necessary to make a campfire. Kagome didn't notice that Inuyasha was awake and watching her actions. She was, therefore, startled when his rough voice cut into her business.

"That's not how you do it," he said.

"Inuyasha!!" she said, looking up at the hanyou. "You're awake!"

"So are you." He hopped down from his branch and took her pitiful bundle of sticks. "Get some stones."

"O-OK," Kagome stammered. She went to the nearby stream that was hidden behind some big trees and gathered the biggest stones she could find.

"Put them there," Inuyasha said, without looking up. He was arranging the bigger branches he had managed to find. Kagome set down the stones and watched him sort the stones into a circle around the branches. "Now you can light it."

Ten minutes later, Kagome had the water in her pot bubbling and splashing about. She put some sort of a mixture in it and started to stir it. The smell of the mixture woke up the others. Sango got up and shook awake Miroku, who was muttering perverted things.

"Eh—what?" Miroku asked, flabbergasted. "Sango?"

Sango smirked. "Expecting someone else, lecher?"

"Why, no," he said, "I was merely surprised to see your shining face so early in the morning."

"Then why were you muttering, 'Will you please bear my child?' " she asked suspiciously.

"Was I really?" Miroku said innocently. "You must have been dreaming."

A loud slap sounded around the campfire. Miroku had a red handprint on his cheek while a furious Sango hovered over him.

"Me? Dreaming?" Sango repeated. "You were the one dreaming, lecherous monk!!!"

Kagome sighed, still stirring the pot. Both Inuyasha and Shippo were watching the fight with interest. It wasn't every morning that Sango and Miroku fought about his impure habits.

"What are you guys fighting about?" a strange voice broke into their squabble. "Lecherous thoughts?"

"Good morning," Kagome said to the strange girl. "Did you sleep well?"

"Really well, thanks!" she replied, smiling. "What's your name?"

"Kagome," Kagome said. "The monk over there is Miroku and demon-slayer next to him is Sango. That's Inuyasha and the fox youkai is Shippo. The two-tailed cat is Kirara. What's yours?"

"It's Miya," she said. (A/N In Japanese Miya means "beautiful night")

"Miya," Kagome repeated. She smiled. "That's really pretty."

"So, Miya," Miroku said, rubbing his abused cheek, "could you tell us a little more about that strange place we found you in?"

Miya looked really uncertain as she said slowly, "I don't know much about it either. It's just a strange place that opens up now and then. I fall into it often, though." She smiled ruefully. "It's not a nice place to be. Eventually, you kinda get used to it."

"So what about that strange monster?" Inuyasha asked.

Miya shuddered and replied, "That's a real monster. They live all over the place. I'm not sure what they are. They always go after me."

"Do you know where it went?" Kagome said, kneeling down next Miya. She noted that the girl had queer blue eyes that seemed to go on and on. Kagome blinked once to clear her head of the images Miya's eyes showed her.

"Somewhere in the fog?" Miya said vaguely. "I don't really know. Why are you so interested in it?"

"Because it had a Shikon jewel fragment," Kagome explained.

Miya was interested. "Really? That might explain why it was so strong. I can normally take care of those things but this time it just wouldn't leave me be no matter how many times I attacked it."

"How'd you attack it?" Shippo asked. He bounded in to Miya's lap. "You don't have any weapons."

"Er—I had a knife with me but I lost it," Miya said.

Inuyasha sniffed the air. He could smell that she was lying but didn't say anything.

"What do you fight with?" Miya asked the group.

Shippo puffed out his chest proudly. "I'm a fox youkai so I fight with illusions. Want to see my smashing top?"

Miya noted the panicked looks the others were giving her and said, "No, thanks, but I'm sure it's really powerful!" Shippo beamed.

"I'm a miko," Kagome said. "I use my spiritual powers and imbue them in my arrows before striking." (A/N Miko is another word for priestess.)

"I have my boomerang, various poisons, and other weapons," Sango said.

"I am a monk with a cursed hand that will draw in anything," Miroku said.

"I've got my claws and my trusty Tessaiga," said Inuyasha.

"It looks kinda beat up to me," Miya criticized.

Inuyasha growled. Miya ignored him and looked at Kagome's arrows. She asked, "Can I try them?"

"All right," Kagome said. "Be careful, though."

"Don't worry, I will." Miya looked over the arrows in Kagome's quiver and chose a straight one that would fly true. She tested the string on the bow expertly and took her stance aiming for a groove in a tree that was fifteen yards away from the group.

She aimed carefully, looking down the arrow for a good course to go. Miya drew the bow string taut and then let go, the arrow flying straight. It hit the groove in a direct bull's eye, much to the amazement of Kagome and the others.

"Even Kagome isn't that good," Inuyasha said. Kagome looked at the hanyou, peeved.

"Very nice," Miroku commented.

"It's a nice bow," Miya said. "I'd like to get one myself."

"You can ask Kaede for one," said Kagome.

"Speaking of Kaede," Sango said, "shouldn't we go back? We've lost all traces of the sacred jewel. Even Naraku isn't liable to show up."

"Naraku?" Miya asked. "Who's he?"

"Just a bad guy who poked a hole in Miroku's hand, killed of Sango's entire village, and pitted Inuyasha against another miko named Kikyo," Shippo said.

Miya paled. "That bad?"

"Yup," Shippo said. Kirara meowed. She scratched her ear.

"Come on, Kirara," Sango said, picking up her boomerang. "We won't get anywhere just by talking." Kirara meowed again and transformed in a glory blaze of fire.

"Sango's right." Miroku moved closer to Sango and his hand roamed to its favorite place: her bottom.

Sango slammed her boomerang onto his head. "Pervert." A large bump formed on Miroku's head. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Your beauty is unparalleled, my dear Sango," Miroku responded. Miya had trouble stifling her giggles. Miroku looked at her as if noticing her for the first time and went over to her. He clasped a bemused Miya's hands in both of his and looked at her very seriously. Everybody in the group knew what was going to happen next. "Miya, would you consider bearing my child?"

Seeing a very furious Sango about to whack Miroku on the head again with her boomerang Miya said, "Thanks for the offer, Miroku." Sango froze, dumfounded. Inuyasha exchanged shocked looks with Kagome and Shippo stopped sucking his lollipop to swallow it and choke. Miya then said, "I don't think that I'm your type though. It seems your fiancé will soon have a heart attack if this goes on." She politely removed her hands from Miroku's and helped Shippo get the lollipop out his throat.

Miroku swallowed. "How'd you know?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Miya asked innocently. She added, "Congratulations, Sango."

Sango lowered her boomerang and gave Miroku a glare. "For what it's worth. I tried to wring a promise out of him not to do that anymore but all I got from him was an 'I'll try.' "

"That's better than nothing," Miya said. Sango smiled and strapped her boomerang to her back. Five minutes later, the group was ready to go.

* * *

"So ye want a bow?" an old woman asked Miya. She wore a patch over her right eye and she was stooped over with age. She wore a priestess's garments with baggy red pants and a baggy white long-sleeved shirt. 

"Yes, Lady Kaede," Miroku said. "This is Miya."

"Hello," Miya said. "I'd like a strong, sturdy bow."

Kaede thought for a moment and then nodded. "I have an extra. Wait inside the hut while I fetch it." She went outside and then opened the straw flap that served as a door. "Would ye like arrows, too?"

"If it isn't too much trouble," Miya said, delighted.

Five minutes went by when Kaede came back in with a longbow and a quiver stuffed to the brim with arrows.

"Can ye handle a longbow?" the old woman inquired.

"Indeed, Lady Kaede," Miya said.

"Just hurry up, old hag," Inuyasha interrupted. "We want to get going."

"Get going where?" Kagome asked Inuyasha. She had taken out her first aid kit and was bandaging Miya's scratches. "We have no leads."

"Don't you guys normally travel for them?" Miya asked, wincing as the raw scratches were covered up. Her new bow and arrows were next to her.

"We'd like to rest a while, though," Sango explained. Kirara was curled up in her lap. "It's also important that we replenish our supplies."

"Didn't Kagome just do that the day before yesterday?" Inuyasha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but you ate everything up," Kagome informed him. She had finished bandaging the girl and closed her kit. "Besides, now that Miya's with us we'll need more. That means I have to go into the well."

"To drown yourself?" Miya asked. She felt the bandages covering her face.

Kagome chuckled nervously. "No, not quite."

"The well they speak of is dry, child," Kaede said. "It is known as the Bone Eaters Well because when the bones of demons were thrown into it they disappeared over the course of a few days."

Miya nodded to show she understood.

"Now that that's settled, I'll be off," Kagome said brightly. She picked up her bag and opened the door flap. "Is that all right, Inuyasha?"

"Feh. It's not like I have a say in the matter anyway."

Without another word, Kagome went out. Miya could sense a slight sadness in the air. She followed Kagome outside and told the others that she was going to catch a breath of fresh air.

"There's enough of it to go around," Inuyasha said.

"I know. That's why I want it," Miya said.

Miroku, Sango, and Shippo had to stifle smiles at Miya's reply. As she went out Shippo said, "Well, she shut you up, Inuyasha." He was silenced as Inuyasha's fist came down on his head. He clutched his head and wailed. "Inuyasha!! Why'd you do that?!"

"No reason," Inuyasha scoffed. He went out after the two girls.

"Very strange," Miroku said. A shifty grin spread across his features.

"What are you thinking?" Sango asked warily.

"Nothing," Miroku said, still grinning. "Just that maybe Inuyasha has gone after Miya and Kagome to hear if they're saying anything about him."

"Wanna spy?" Sango asked.

"Definitely," Miroku answered. The two got up and went out the door flap after Inuyasha.

"I'm going, too," Shippo decided. He was stopped only by a gnarled old hand on his pants.

"No, ye are not going, Shippo," Kaede said. "Ye can help me grind these herbs."

Amidst Shippo's groans and Kaede's insistent voice, two spies followed another spy to eavesdrop on a certain conversation.

* * *

**I know some of you are going to think this is another filler chapter and it is in a way so don't hate me! I think I'm going to put some action in the next chapter (I think). Besides, aren't you curious about what's going to happen?**

**I'll try to update soon! **


	4. Things Heat Up

**Hooray!!! Here's Chapter 4! Like I said before, I'll see if I put some action in this one.**

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything from this story except the storyline and my own character, Miya.**

* * *

As Miya tramped through the forest, she was assailed by a multitude of feelings, among them betrayal and regret. She shook her head to clear herself of the images they produced, one of them being a certain hanyou nailed to a huge tree. Soon, she could see Kagome's figure in the trees ahead of her.

"Kagome!" she called. Kagome stopped and waited for Miya to catch up. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing," Kagome said. Miya could tell she was lying as it gave off in her vibes.

Miya raised an eyebrow. "The truth, Kagome."

"Come on." Kagome led Miya to a small stream and sat down on the bank. "You want the truth?"

"The whole bit." Miya sat down next to Kagome.

"Which one should I tell you?" Kagome said bitterly. "The one from fifty years ago or the most recent one?"

"Both, preferably."

Kagome sighed and began, "Fifty years ago Inuyasha was in love with another miko, Kikyo. Originally, he had been after the Jewel of Four Souls or the Shikon Jewel but over time the two fell in love. Kikyo had told Inuyasha that he could use the jewel to turn himself into a human and the jewel would be purified. The problem was Naraku. First, he came in the form of a bandit named Onigumo."

In this way, Kagome narrated the entire tale of Inuyasha and Kikyo until the current time when she had found the well and fallen into it.

"So now we're hunting Naraku," Kagome finished.

"One evil hanyou," Miya commented. She lay down on the grass and relaxed. "Does that have anything to do with how you feel about Inuyasha?"

Kagome jumped and said, "What do you mean?"

"How do you feel about him?" Miya asked patiently.

"He's a selfish, self-centered jerk!" Kagome shouted. A few birds took fright from the noise and flew away. "Not to mention he's _always_ refusing to let me go home and is _constantly_ fighting over small things!!"

"No need to shout," Miya said. "Is that _really_ how you feel about him?"

"Yes, that is!!"

"Ignorance is bliss," Miya muttered. "I've learned that myself."

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing. I just think you should open up a little more to him. He might understand."

"That's what you think."

"Look, Kagome," Miya said. She was suddenly serious. "You might want to discuss these things with Inuyasha now instead of later." In a very loud voice she said, "You may regret it later just like Inuyasha did."

Kagome looked at her, puzzled. "Why are you screaming?"

Miya shrugged. "No reason." In truth, she had felt the presence of three spies and had decided to give Inuyasha a message. "Aren't you going?"

Kagome gasped. "You're right!" She rushed off into the trees.

Miya lay down again and closed her eyes. Soon she was rewarded by rustling in the trees. The two other spies she had sensed were silent.

"Why'd you say that?" Inuyasha asked. He had eavesdropped on most of the conversation.

"Like I said, 'No reason.' "

"I don't believe that," Inuyasha said suspiciously. "Why did you lie about having that knife? Who are you really, Miya?"

"I'm Miya," she said testily. "And for your information, I _did_ have a knife. I just lost it in the fog."

Inuyasha sniffed Miya. "Then why do you smell like you're lying?"

Miya rolled her eyes. "Why did Kagome panic when I asked her that question?"

"If you're not going answer my question then I guess I shouldn't answer yours."

"Fair enough." Miya gazed idly into the stream and was disconcerted at the images it showed her about Kikyo and Inuyasha. The waters briefly showed a vision of a beautiful miko with black hair and dark eyes before showing her releasing an arrow that pinned Inuyasha to a tree.

"Did Kagome leave?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yeah, she did. So are you still interested in the Shikon jewel?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm going to take it and become a full-fledged demon," Inuyasha said confidently.

"Liar," Miya said under her breath.

"I'm not a liar!!" Inuyasha shouted. He sprang up and glared at the girl.

"Fair enough," Miya said again. She got up and looked back. "You may want to get back to the hut."

"Huh? Why?" Inuyasha was speaking to empty air as Miya had already disappeared. He kicked a stone into the stream in a fit of temper. Sitting down, he thought about what he had overheard. '_Does Kagome really feel that way about me?_'

* * *

Miroku and Sango made their way back to Kaede's village. Both were rather disturbed about what they had heard pass between Miya and Inuyasha. They were also disturbed about how Miya had seemed to know that Inuyasha was there.

"It's as if she's psychic." Sango shivered.

"Indeed. And what about that knife? She had no reason to lie."

"Maybe she did," Sango said. "Even I have some secrets I'd rather keep than reveal."

"Such as what, Sango?"

"None of your business."

"Fair enough," Miroku recited. He received an "accidental" nudge from Sango's elbow in his side. "Ow! What'd you do that for?"

"Stop saying that. Soon the only thing I'll be saying is 'fair enough'," Sango said.

"Fair enough," Miroku said with a grin. This time Sango punched him in the shoulder. "Ow!"

* * *

Inuyasha was throwing clumps of pebbles in the stream and watching the ripples spread out. Frustrated, he picked up two huge stones and threw them into the stream to watch with satisfaction as they sank to the bottom.

"Feh. Stupid girl," Inuyasha grumbled. He sat down, crossed his legs, and put his arms in his sleeves. The hanyou remained like this for several more minutes before cracking. "Aaargh!!! How am I supposed to figure this out?! Dammit!!!"

He didn't notice the shadowy figure before it was too late. It crept up on him silently before attacking. Inuyasha didn't have any time to react before it gouged a deep scratch in his shoulder.

"OW!!" Inuyasha shouted. He sprang up and clutched his shoulder which was bleeding. "What happened?!" Seeing the monster crouching in the shadows of the tree he drew his Tessaiga which transformed. "Came back for more, did you?"

"The girl," the thing hissed. Its voice rasped and sounded like a thousand things were climbing all over it.

Inuyasha winced as the sound hit his delicate hearing. "Get some help, would ya? You sound awful!!" He swung his sword up and brought it down. "Kaze no Kizu!"

Four golden lights scraped across the ground and hit the monster. It went right through the creature and in a flash it hit Inuyasha in the stomach. It withdrew its "hand" leaving a bloody mark.

"Aargh!" Inuyasha flew backward and hit a tree. '_What's going on? Why didn't the Kaze no Kizu work on it?_'

"You baka!!" a new voice cut in. Inuyasha's head snapped upward as he saw the monster being impaled by an arrow. "I _told _you to go back didn't I?!" Miya appeared in front of him, her new bow held at the ready with an arrow ready to be shot. She drew the string taut and shot another arrow at it. "I could have told you that the same trick won't work on it again!"

"Thanks a lot," Inuyasha said sarcastically, getting up. He tenderly felt his stomach wound. It was nothing too bad.

"You're welcome." Miya shot the second arrow and it hit the monster in the stomach. She sped forward and used the longbow to knock it backwards. "Don't you have any other attacks in that sword of yours?"

"Stand back," Inuyasha warned. He held his sword diagonal to the ground. It pulsated and energies started to swirl around the blade. It pulsated once again and the blade transformed to a shiny, crystal-like material. Tessaiga flew threw the air as Inuyasha swung it and hundreds of shards of adamant came out of the blade. "**Kongōsōha!!" he roared. (A/N Don't ask me how to do those little lines. I got the word from Wikipedia)**

"Nice," Miya said, watching how the monster was impaled by the sharp spears. "Pity you can't use it again."

"What?!"

"Don't you have anything that'll finish it off in one shot?"

"One thing," Inuyasha admitted.

"Then use it."

"I can't." Miya shot him a look. He explained, "It'll send it to hell jewel shard and all. Kagome would kill me."

"Stupid jewel," Miya grumbled. She took a good look at the writhing monster. "It's in the forehead. I'll grab it."

"Hey, how do--" Inuyasha was cut off as Miya jumped in front of the monster and used an arrow to impale it in the forehead. A bright light shot out and blinded both of them temporarily. When it was over, Miya clasped something in her right hand.

"Use your Kaze no Kizu," she said.

"But I thought you said it wouldn't work."

"Trust me and use it!"

"Feh." Inuyasha reverted the Tessaiga back to its normal state and swirling energies started to gather round the blade. He swung it half-heartedly and said, "Kaze no Kizu."

To his surprise, the attack struck the monster head on and, shrieking, the ugly thing dissipated in a shroud of black smoke.

Inuyasha looked over to Miya and said, "I thought you said it wouldn't work."

"That was with the jewel shard," Miya explained. She opened her clenched fist and showed him the fragment.

Inuyasha sheathed his sword and said, "Better give that to Kagome once she comes back."

"I will."

* * *

Kagome rushed to get all the stuff in her backpack. Watching at the table was her little brother. He was a small boy who was only a little taller than Kagome's waist and had short black hair.

"Do you really need all this stuff, Sis?" he asked.

"Of course, Sota," Kagome said. She reached for a bag of potato chips. "Besides, we have a new member."

"Who is it?" her mother asked. Mrs. Higurashi looked very similar to Sota except that she was taller than Kagome.

"Her name's Miya and she seems to be a nice girl. She's definitely better at handling a bow and arrows than I am," Kagome said.

"I do hope that you'll be safe, Kagome," her grandfather said. He was stooped over, wrinkled, and had whiskers. His white hair was tied back in a bun.

"I'll be fine, Gramps. Inuyasha's there," Kagome said crossly. She rushed over to the fridge and took out a carton full of juice. "I wonder if they'll like this."

"They should, dear," Mrs. Higurashi assured her. "It's apple juice and I have yet to meet someone who doesn't like apple juice." She gave Kagome a homemade lunch. "Take this, too. It'll be more nutritious than all that ramen, anyway."

"Inuyasha doesn't think this is food," Kagome said, taking the box. "But, thanks, Mom. The others love this."

"You're welcome."

Kagome looked at the clock and gave a small yelp. "It's time to go!" She slipped her arms through the straps of the huge yellow bag and attempted to heft it off the table. Managing to do so, she took a few tottering steps towards the kitchen door to grab the door frame in order to steady herself.

"Do you need some help, Sis?" Sota asked.

"No, I'll manage," panted Kagome. "It's only a short walk to the well house."

That short walk took about ten minutes with frequent breaks until Kagome finally opened the door. She fell into the well headfirst as she dove off the steps.

'_Wonder if Inuyasha is waiting for me_,' Kagome thought while traveling through the endless purple light. She blushed as she thought about Miya's question. '_How'd she know about my feelings anyway?_'

Kagome settled down on the dirt floor of the well in the feudal era. She looked up at the vines and wondered how she was going to get out with such a heavy backpack on.

"Inuyasha!" she called. When there was no answer she thought, '_It can't be nighttime already. But the sky is all cloudy. Is it raining? But then, why isn't the well wet?_'

Her ominous question was answered as she managed to pry herself and the bag out of the well without breaking the vines. She sat on the well side in shocked silence as she looked around. There was _nothing_ but fog surrounding her.

"Oh no," Kagome whispered. As far as she could tell, the well and she were the only solid objects in the fog. She saw a shadowy figure dart towards her and as its fingers closed around her neck she let out a long heartrending scream. "Inuyashaaaaaaaa!!!"

* * *

Inuyasha was still by the stream with Miya when he suddenly turned as if hearing some invisible voice.

"Kagome?"

* * *

**Chapter 4 is finished!!! I hope you like this chapter and I hope I put enough action scenes in here! Read and review.**

**Oh! Has anyone figured out what Miya is yet? Cookies to those who figure it out!**

**I'll update as soon as I can.**


	5. The Plot Thickens

**Hasn't anybody guessed what Miya is yet? I won't tell you just now! I'll give you a little hint, though. It begins with a "p" and rhymes with "tick". Cookies to those who guess!! (If I'm nice, I'll take you out to ice cream)**

**On to Chapter 5!!**

_**Half-Demon Cali: Your guess was pretty good but Miya isn't a priestess!!**_

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha but I do own Miya and the storyline.**

* * *

"What'd you say?" Miya asked Inuyasha.

"I thought I heard Kagome say my name," Inuyasha said.

"You did? What direction would you say it's from?"

"I'd say the well," Inuyasha said, scanning the forest.

"The shadow came from the well," Miya said slowly. Inuyasha turned to her as she did mental calculations. Her face paled and she said, "If that thing came from an opening and seemed to come from the direction of the Bone Eater's Well...well, I just hope Kagome didn't come back then because there'd be a 60 percent chance she got caught up in it."

Realization dawned on Inuyasha's face. He swore and said, "We're in trouble, aren't we?"

"Big trouble," Miya agreed. "We have to get back and warn the others."

"Kagome!!" Inuyasha called. He jumped towards the forest but Miya grabbed his collar and pulled him back. "Let me go!! I have to save her!!!"

"There's nothing you can do now," Miya said, still holding Inuyasha's collar. "It's closed."

"How do you know it's closed?!" Inuyasha hollered. He tore himself free of her grasp and leapt off into the forest.

Miya swore and ran off after the hanyou. She held her bow at the ready in case another one would come after them.

Inuyasha ran like the wind, sniffing anxiously. He could not catch Kagome's scent but refused to believe Miya.

'_That cry,_' he thought, '_it sounded like she was screaming for help. Screaming for me._'

"Inuyasha!" he heard Miya call. Damn! Had she caught up with him already?

"Get away!!" he said. "I have to find Kagome!!"

Inuyasha increased his speed and was surprised when Miya caught up with him. She ran evenly with him.

"Humph," Inuyasha said. She seemed mortal enough so he couldn't understand how she kept up with him but likened it to Miroku's ability to conjure up fast sprints.

In a couple of minutes, the pair made it back to Kaede's hut and an arguing Miroku and Sango could be heard.

"Lecher!!" Sango could be heard saying.

"You're mistaken," Miroku's voice was protesting. A loud slap was heard.

"Oh? And what am I mistaken about? You being a pervert and on top of that a shameless flirt?"

A pause was heard. "I deny that," Miroku said finally.

"You deny that you're a lecher, lecher?" Inuyasha asked, opening the door. He found a red faced Miroku and an equally red faced Sango. Sango was blushing furiously but Miroku was red on account of Sango's slaps.

"Guys," Miya said quietly.

"Yes, I deny that," Miroku said.

"Liar," Shippo said. He was watching the fight from the doorway.

"Guys," Miya repeated, a little louder.

Miroku reached for Sango's butt and was rewarded by another slap and a punch from Inuyasha.

"GUYS!!!" Miya shouted. Everybody looked at her and she said in a more reasonable tone, "Now that I have your attention, are you all aware that Kagome is missing?"

"What?" Sango asked. "Kagome missing?"

"Didn't she go home?" Miroku added.

"She came back," Inuyasha growled. "Miya thinks it's possible she was caught in that creepy fog."

"Not possible, definitely," Miya corrected. She had closed her eyes. "She's definitely gone. I can't sense her."

" 'Sense?' " Miroku asked, a puzzled look on his abused face.

"We should go to investigate," Miya said, ignoring his question. She adjusted her bow and arrows, hefted up a confused Shippo, and dragged Inuyasha outside.

"She's strange," Sango whispered to Miroku, their argument forgotten.

"You said it," he whispered back.

"Are you coming?" Miya called. "We're going to the well."

Sango and Miroku got up, each clutching their respective weapons, and went outside to the Bone Eater's Well.

* * *

Kagome opened her eyes slowly. Her neck burned where the monster had choked her into unconsciousness and her whole body throbbed. She couldn't move as she soon found out when trying to twist her head.

'_Urrgh. Where am I?_' Kagome thought. Her eyes opened a little and she saw nothing but white fog. She closed them again. '_I'm still in the fog. I hope Inuyasha heard me._'

The miko opened her eyes again and saw that she was bound in red light that crackled and whipped around her body, leaving raw red marks wherever it touched her bare skin.

"Awake are you, my pretty?" a voice said, making her jump. A couple of seconds went by before she saw who had spoken. It was another shadow, but this one had visible eye sockets and two holes that could have passed as nostrils. Its voice sounded like it was coated in slime and yet it rasped and sounded all together too awful. It approached her and seemed to enjoy the terror it was inflicting on the helpless girl. "This will draw her out no doubt. She always was weak when it came to her friends."

"Who?" Kagome wanted to ask but her voice wouldn't work. She was paralyzed by fear.

"Paralyzed?" It chuckled and the noise grated Kagome's ears. "You should be." It stroked her cheek and Kagome recoiled.

"G-G-Get o-off of me," Kagome croaked. She had found her voice. She continued, newfound confidence giving strength to her vocal cords, "Inuyasha will get you. Just you wait."

The thing ignored her and retreated, muttering to itself and then it said, "Your Inuyasha may be strong but the girl is stronger yet."

"What girl?"

"You don't know? She hasn't told you yet?" It laughed and Kagome's spine sent shivers up her back. "It's not surprising, considering her past. I'll just let you find out soon."

'_Who is it talking about?_' Kagome thought.

"Time to go to sleep again." It reached out towards her and Kagome couldn't move back as its aura overpowered her. Its fingers closed around her neck once more and she couldn't breathe.

"Inuyasha," she whispered, before falling unconscious again.

The thing withdrew its hand and moved away from Kagome. It disappeared into the fog and said before vanishing completely, "I'm coming, girl. You can't escape me."

* * *

Miya patted the well and examined the wood while the others inspected the surroundings. They came back in a few minutes to report their findings.

"Nothing," Inuyasha said. "My nose can't even catch a whiff of Kagome's scent."

"I can't sense any evil," Miroku said.

"Kirara and I have scouted the area from the air but haven't seen anything unusual," Sango reported. A transformed Kirara nodded at her statement.

"Nothing in the surrounding trees, Miya," Shippo said, hopping onto Miya's shoulder.

Miya nodded and said, "It's closed so that's to be expected. Inuyasha, can you catch Kagome's scent on the well?"

"Of course," he said. "It reeks of her scent."

"Is it fresh?"

"She hopped in there a couple hours ago," he said, "of _course_ it's fresh!!"

"No, I mean by an hour or so," Miya said.

Inuyasha sniffed the wood and said, "Nothing newer than that. It's as if she never came back."

Miya leaned back and sat on the edge. "When I examined the well, I saw it was a little damp. It's only a little but that little bit shows me that the well was in some damp air. Kagome must have come through here and was captured."

"Captured by what, though?" Miroku asked.

"That's the problem," she said, "I can't get any feeling beyond that. She was terrified though." Here she looked pointedly at Inuyasha. "That explains why you heard her speak your name. It's more than likely that she screamed it in order to make herself heard."

"But why kidnap Kagome? We've never even seen this place until you showed up," Inuyasha said.

"Good question," Sango said.

Miya paused for a moment and then said, "I don't know. It is, however, imperative that we open the place up again. I don't want to know what would happen to Kagome if we don't."

"Is there a way?" Shippo asked.

"There is, but it's complicated," Miya said. "It'll take a couple of days for me to prepare everything."

Here Inuyasha grabbed Miya's shirt and said, "We don't have time for that!!! Kagome is in danger right _now_ so how can we sit around and waste days?!"

Miya looked back at him calmly. "I can't open up a portal in only a few hours, Inuyasha. Think reasonably. Besides, I don't think time there runs along the same lines as here. A few days here may only take a few minutes there." Miya thought, '_Or maybe a few days here will waste a couple of years there but better not tell him that, he'd fly right into the soup._'

"She's right, Inuyasha," Miroku said. He took Inuyasha's hand off of Miya's shirt.

"Feh." Inuyasha yanked his hand away from Miroku's, put his arms in his sleeves and looked away.

"Do you guys have a map?" Miya asked.

"Why, yes." Sango produced one out of a bag. "Here it is."

Miya laid it flat on the ground and looked at the villages and landforms marked out on it. She pointed to a hill that wasn't marked. "This is the one we'll need to go to in order to open the portal." She pointed to a village that close to the one they were in at the moment. "We can pick up some of the supplies I'll need at this village."

"Erm—there is the small question of money," Miroku said.

"Don't you have any, monk?" Inuyasha asked.

Miroku looked through his robe, took out a purse, opened it, and turned it upside down. It was dejectedly empty. "Fresh out, Inuyasha."

"We can trade," Miya said. She then looked at Miroku and asked, "How do you get your money anyway?"

Shippo got up, struck a pose, pretended to hold a staff, and said in a saintly voice, "I feel an evil shadow hovering over this mansion. If you give me a night, I can exorcise the demons." He grinned and said, "That's how Miroku swindles people to getting a free night's rest and a meal."

Miroku sighed and said, "You do me such injustice, Shippo." He then looked at Miya and added, "I make an honest living exorcising youkais."

"And when not exorcising youkais?"

"He makes a living cleaning houses!!" Sango said brightly.

"I do not!!"

"Yes, you do!!"

"Do not!!"

"Oh, so what's your Kazāna for then?"

Miroku puffed up and said, "For defeating Naraku!!"

"It's not for cleaning up dust?"

Miroku glared at Sango. There was quite a drawn out glaring battle until Inuyasha decided to punch both of them in the head.

"Come on! This is no time to be arguing!" He grabbed Miya, set her on his back before she could protest, and ran into the woods.

"Kirara!" Kirara waited until Sango had jumped onto her back. Miroku grabbed his staff and jumped on Kirara's back after Sango. Shippo followed him and grabbed onto his shoulder.

"Hey! Inuyasha! You can put me down!" Miya protested.

"Not a chance. You'll only slow us down."

* * *

The group arrived at the village in the evening. It was an orange sunset that greeted them when they could see the first of the huts. It seemed deserted.

"Where is everyone?" Sango asked. She had her boomerang at the ready.

"In the houses," Inuyasha said. "I can still smell them."

"Why, though?" Shippo asked. "It's not as if we're going to harm them."

"We're a queer group," Miya pointed out. "Have you ever been to this village before?" They all shook their heads. "That explains it. Sango, you're a youkai slayer and Inuyasha, Kirara, and Shippo are youkais. Miroku, you're a monk. I don't think there has been a stranger group than this because both youkai slayers and monks are known to slay youkais and both of you are sitting right here and on top of another youkai."

"Makes sense," Miroku said. He hopped off and said, "Now to convince these people we mean them no harm."

"Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kirara, go somewhere else and hide," Miya whispered to the trio. Before Inuyasha could protest she added, "It's for the best, all right? It shouldn't take me very long to get the stuff we need."

Inuyasha left reluctantly with both Shippo and Kirara, leaving the other three in the village. Miroku walked nonchalantly over to a stall and picked up an artifact shaped like a fat man and examined it.

"Never seen anything like this," Miroku announced.

"'Course you haven't," Miya said sarcastically. "That came from a different place. It's a Buddha."

"This fat man?" Miroku shook it. "You're kidding me. It's just a harmless villager."

"Uh—no, it isn't."

"Miroku!" Sango hissed. "You're disgracing everyone that goes by the name of 'monk'! Get your head screwed on right!"

"You know this man?"

"'Course not! Just put that fat thing down and let's help Miya get the stuff she needs!"

Miroku put it down and grumbled, "Didn't really like it anyway."

Miya went over to another stall opposite of the one Miroku went to and examined some plants. "I'll be needing these."

"Herbs?" Sango peered at the strangely colored leaves. They were purple and blue.

"No," Miya said. She reached into her shirt and took out a copper medallion with a dragon carved onto it. She set it down on the counter and picked out some stems with the leaves on them. "This'll do. These leaves can be both medicinal and poisonous. They also have supernatural purposes. When used correctly, they can separate the spirit from the body."

"Really?" Miroku took a leaf from the stem and fingered it. "Never heard of them."

"Frankly, I'm surprised this village has them," Miya said, rooting through some boxes. "They're not exactly growing on trees in this land." She came out of the boxes with her hands rather dusty but clutching some jars with peculiar organs in them. "OK, that'll cover some of the preparations. The leaves are a bonus so I can skip some of the supplies needed." Rooting through her shirt again, Miya put down a small box on the counter.

"How do you know you're trading fairly?" Sango asked.

"I've been trading for a while," Miya explained. "These things aren't worth much so I just happened to have the stuff needed to fairly exchange them."

Miya then took out the map she had taken with them and looked at the markings. She pointed to another marked village a little closer to the unmarked hill that was their destination. "We need to go there next."

* * *

"Can't they hurry up any faster?" Inuyasha growled. He was sitting in a tree in the forest and was waiting impatiently.

"She's probably having trouble getting the villagers to come out," Shippo said. He was sitting on the same branch. "You can't just trade without their permission."

"How would you know? You've never bought anything in your life!"

"I resent that! I've bought these!" Shippo reached into his tunic and took out some leaves and paper.

Inuyasha snorted. "With what? Rocks?"

"Not quite," Shippo muttered. He put his items carefully back into his tunic.

"We're baaaack!!!" Inuyasha heard Miroku's annoying voice.

He hopped down from the tree and said, "Took you long enough."

"We've got another stop to make," Miya said.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Inuyasha grabbed Miya and set off.

"Wait!!" Sango called. "Don't you want to know where we're supposed to go?!" No reply came. She sighed and said, "Come on, Kirara."

Sango, Miroku, and Shippo hopped onto Kirara's back and set off into the sky.

* * *

"Left, _left_, Inuyasha!!" Miya shouted. Inuyasha was leaping through a swamp in the forest.

"Why should I go left?" Inuyasha snapped. He did, however, oblige Miya and turned left.

"Because that's where the village is," Miya said. "If you hadn't left so suddenly, I could have taken the map from Sango. As it is, we're off course."

Inuyasha stepped into a particularly murky puddle and was sucked halfway in.

"Hard to believe you're a hanyou," Miya muttered. Hopping off Inuyasha's back onto firmer ground she attempted to help him get out.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Look, do you want me to help you get out or not?!"

"Gladly," Inuyasha muttered. He had sunk another inch.

Miya closed her eyes and did an upward motion with her hands. With a loud sucking motion, the swamp was relieved of Inuyasha. His red pants were barely recognizable with all the mud that was covering them.

"How'd you do that?" Inuyasha asked.

"With your mind you can accomplish anything," Miya said. She looked a bit paler. "Don't ask me to do that again though. There's only so many times I can lift a full-grown body out of some stubborn mud."

"Is that supposed to be an insult?"

"Maybe."

* * *

"Hey, Miroku, has it occurred to you that we haven't seen either Inuyasha or Miya?"

"I would have thought that with Kirara's speed we'd have caught them up by now."

"Knowing that knucklehead, he's probably got them lost," Shippo said.

"But Miya has the map," Sango said.

"Didn't she give you the map?" Miroku asked.

Sango checked her shoulder plate and sure enough, the map was folded neatly and tucked securely under it.

"Oh boy."

"Oh boy, indeed," Miroku said. "If I remember correctly, there was a large swamp marked on it." He looked at the misty ground beneath them. He could still see the shapes of trees. "Let's hope Miya steered him away from that."

"A dumb hanyou is still a dumb hanyou," Shippo said.

"True," Sango said. "Better not let Inuyasha hear you say that."

"Indeed," Miroku said. "Oh, look, I think I see the village."

Kirara steered them in the direction of the greenish lights. An ominous wind was blowing.

* * *

"Which way? Left or right?" Inuyasha was crouching on a rock with Miya on his back.

"How about, straight ahead?"

"You're not sure?"

"Well, I don't have the map thanks to a certain someone who couldn't wait to leave."

"So now it's my fault that you couldn't remember that there was a swamp on the way to the village?"

"I knew that there was a swamp but not where it was. Now just go straight ahead and let's get out of this place."

"There's a foul stench in the air," Inuyasha said, hopping off the stone into the muddy water. He leaped up again.

"It is a swamp."

"It smells like a youkai," Inuyasha said flatly.

"Gah. Just what we need."

Inuyasha's ears suddenly twitched and he stopped. "Now it smells like Naraku."

"It does?" Miya got down and readied her weapon. Inuyasha rested his right hand on his sword hilt.

"Ku ku ku ku." An evil, amused voice chuckled. "What happened to the other girl, Inuyasha?" A tall man appeared before the two. His long black hair whipped behind him where long octopus-like tentacles waved. His outfit was purple and an eye gazed at them from his center. He had other eyes on his hands. The man hovered in the air, shielded by a purple barrier.

"Naraku," Inuyasha snarled. He pulled out his Tessaiga which transformed.

"What do you want?" Miya asked. She had pulled out an arrow and had the bow ready to shoot.

"I came to see what all the fuss was about," he answered. Naraku smiled evilly. "You really get around, don't you, Inuyasha?"

"What're you talking about?!"

"Hey, calm down, Inuyasha," Miya whispered. "Let me handle him."

"You've got spunk, girl," Naraku said. "Too bad you're only a human."

The string on Miya's bow was taut and quivering. "I wouldn't mock us if I were you, Naraku. Sure, that barrier is strong but my arrow and Inuyasha's sword can break right through it."

"Want to try?" Naraku chuckled evilly.

"Prepare to die, Naraku!!" Inuyasha swept his sword down. "Kongōsōha!"

Miya's arrow was released as well and both daimond shards and arrow met the purple barrier in a blinding flash of light.

* * *

**Finished!! Let me tell you, this last weekend's meet was a killer. (Yes, I'm a swimmer, live with it)**

**Enjoy Chapter 5 and I'll have 6 up as soon as I finish it.**


	6. More Questions

**I have a really good explanation for not updating sooner: My hard drive completely crashed… Also, I reedited the first chapter completely so if you have been a steady reader of this story do this: REREAD THE FIRST CHAPTER!! That's all for that so, let the story commence!!**

**By the way, as today is my birthday, I've decided for all you readers to have a special treat. I'm updating my other two "in-progress" stories today as well, so expect two other updates!! Plus, I'm making a one-shot of mine a two-shot.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha but I do own Miya and any other villains that I create. If you want to use her, ask me first.**

* * *

It was so foggy that the group in the air riding on the back of the enormous feline couldn't even see three feet in front of them. When the fog cleared, however, they found themselves in pitch black. There was no moon and even the stars had abandoned their job of lighting up the night. The only way they even knew that they were somewhere was the shadowy figures on the ground which they identified to be trees by the light of Kirara's fire.

"I don't think I've ever been anywhere so dark," Sango said softly, looking down. "Are those even trees?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Miroku said. "I just hope that we're still in our own world."

"What do you mean?"

"There could be different worlds than ours," Miroku said simply.

Shippo shivered and said, "Does anyone else hear that weird sound?"

They listened and heard a howling sound that sent shivers down their spine.

"What is it?" Sango asked, trembling. "I've never heard such a sound."

"It's not mortal," Miroku said.

"I got that much from the sound. Is it a youkai?"

"It could be but it sounds too….unearthly."

"I'm not unearthly," Shippo whispered indignantly.

"I know. That wasn't meant for you, Shippo," Miroku reassured the small kitsune.

"Think we should land, Miroku?" Sango inquired.

"We haven't reached the village yet. Those lights are still a ways off," Miroku pointed out.

"True, but, haven't you noticed that they're…I don't know…_green_?" Sango shifted her Hiraikotsu.

Miroku remained silent for a moment before answering, "True. Touch down, Kirara, for now. We'll walk there on foot."

Kirara gave a growl in reply as she descended.

"Stay quiet now," Sango commanded the two youkais. "We need to be quiet since we don't know what's there."

They were in a strange forest. The trees looked all bony and withered up and the branches looked too much like pointy fingers. If Shippo could voice his thoughts, he would've said that they were _staring_ at the group and not in a way that was particularly nice.

"I've never seen such a forest." Sango stepped over a bony white root. "I've also never seen a night as black as it is now. There are no clouds in the sky."

"I'm scared," Shippo whimpered, pressing himself down into Kirara's fur.

"Don't be, Shippo," Sango said, smiling. "We're here and we'll protect you."

"I give you a monk's word," Miroku said, putting his gloved fist over his heart. "I swear my honor on it."

"Do you even have honor?"

"Ha ha. Let's just go."

Several minutes later, the trees were beginning to look even more threatening and the lights were getting closer. Sango and Miroku told Shippo and Kirara to stay behind and hide while they made their way closer to the clearing.

"Are those lights….hovering above the ground?" Sango whispered.

"And there's no village." Miroku stopped and huddled behind a tree. "Sango, give me that map."

The two pored over the map for a few moments.

"According to this map, we're supposed to be at the village," Miroku said. "In fact, we're standing in it."

"I don't see any villagers. Unless the trees are supposed to be them," Sango said.

Miroku cracked a smile. "Somehow, I doubt the trees are the villagers, although, they certainly seem to be staring at us."

"Care to brave it, Miroku?" Sango crouched down, ready to run out.

"Only way we'll find out what's going on." Miroku jumped out, Sango following.

The moment they stepped into the clearing, they saw that the greenish lights were in fact floating off the ground. In another second, the lights had been extinguished, leaving them in total darkness. Then, shrieking filled the air and by whatever light they still had, the two fighters saw dark shapes swooping in on them from the sky.

"Ready, Sango?" Miroku asked, holding his staff out.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess," the youkai-slayer answered.

The two readied their weapons as the accursed shrieking went on.

* * *

Inuyasha's diamond shards and Miya's arrow met the barrier of Naraku with a blinding white light. First the arrow pierced the barrier. Instead of shattering as Naraku had expected it to, it instead began to sink into the barrier. Then came Inuyasha's shards. With the arrow steadily sinking into the barrier, the shards shattered the barrier and allowed the arrow to pierce Naraku's chest.

"Yes!" Inuyasha crowed.

"Interesting," Naraku commented, taking the arrow out of his chest. He landed on the ground without the barrier to hold him up. "There are no spiritual powers imbedded in this arrow and yet it did not shatter on impact."

"Maybe that's because your barrier isn't as strong as you thought it was," Miya said evenly, notching another arrow to her string.

"Where's Kagome, you (censored)?!" Inuyasha cried.

"I don't have the woman, if that's what you're insinuating," Naraku said. "In fact, I merely came to congratulate whoever did steal her. It's a marvelous plan if I do say so myself."

"Enough talking. Today's going to be your death day, Naraku!" The Tessaiga began to gather energies around its blade. "Kaze no Kizu!!"

"Stop, Inuyasha!" Miya shouted. "It's just going to…." The four streaks of light hit Naraku and rebounded. "….rebound," she finished lamely. Miya ran over to Inuyasha and hit him full-on to get him out of the way. "Watch out!" Both of them skidded across the marshy ground.

"Pity. I was hoping for it to tear you apart," Naraku said. A dark shadow materialized in front of the hanyou.

"Always perceptive, aren't you, my dear?" the shadow rasped.

"Not you, you disgusting thing," Miya said.

"You're hurting my feelings."

"Do you even have any?" Miya retorted.

"Miya," Inuyasha said, "who's this guy?!"

"No one of any consequence," she replied.

"Would you really say that if you knew that I held your friend's life in the palm of my hand?" it asked.

"You--!" she was broken off by Inuyasha.

"Where the hell is Kagome, you (censored)?!"

"I'm sorry. Was she your woman?" the shadow said, smirking. It didn't look very nice.

"Who are you?" Naraku asked of the shadow.

"I have no name," it rasped, "although those who know me call me the Leader."

"Leader of what?"

"Oh yeah, Ku-chan," Miya said loud enough for everyone to hear, "suck up to the guy 'cause he's just going to kill you."

"Ku-chan?" Inuyasha looked flabbergasted.

"He laughs like that." The girl shrugged.

"Very amusing." Naraku didn't look amused in the least.

"I am the leader of the shadows of the world hidden by the mist," the shadow said. "Many fear us…with perfect right."

"The world hidden by the mist?"

"It's that place where you found me," Miya explained to the hanyou.

"And the place where you escaped my grasp once again." The shadow's face twisted into an ugly grimace. "Mark my words, girl, you'll wish that you never interfered with my plans."

"Sorry, _I_ interfered with _your_ plans?" Miya said. "I thought it was the other way around with you deciding to ruin my life."

"Not that your life wasn't already ruined," the shadow said.

Inuyasha glanced at Miya and saw that her face was impassive, even though her blue eyes held an entirely different story.

'_What happened between these two?_' Inuyasha wondered. '_She's just a puny mortal._' He could've sworn he saw Miya shoot him a glare at that remark but that was impossible. She couldn't read minds, could she?

"How about I offer you a bargain?" Naraku offered to the shadow. "I'll give you the sacred jewel, if you destroy Inuyasha and his friends."

"I already have some of the jewel," the shadow rasped. "I nearly captured the girl with it, too. And, if you're really as powerful as this dog-eared mongrel suggests--"

"_Hey_!!" Inuyasha growled.

"--then you should have no problem defeating them on your own," the shadow finished smoothly.

"You'll regret that," Naraku said just as smoothly.

"Come on, Inuyasha," Miya whispered, tugging on Inuyasha's sleeve. "Let's go while they're arguing. We don't have time for this."

"No way! We can ask that shadow where Kagome is!" Inuyasha protested, thankfully remembering to keep his voice low.

"That guy won't tell you anything," she responded in a low voice. "He's just going to drag you around by a thread until you realize he's only fooling with you."

"What's up with calling it 'him'?"

"That's not the point. I wouldn't call that eyeball creep a 'him' either but he looks more human than that stupid shadow wraith." Miya began to draw Inuyasha back. "Now let's _go_ before they decide to turn their attention back to us."

"You're a strange girl, you know that, right?"

"I know." Miya smiled sweetly. "That's not the first time someone's told me that, either."

"You're not going anywhere." The shadow wraith Miya had mentioned earlier appeared before the two and threw Miya over.

"Get off of me!" Miya grunted as she kicked the shadow wraith off of her.

"And as for you, Inuyasha," Naraku said evilly as he whipped a tentacle towards the hanyou.

"I'm not going anywhere," Inuyasha said flatly. His Tessaiga turned into a scaled version of its former self. It was the dragon-scaled form.

* * *

"Hiraikotsu!!" Sango threw her boomerang among the flapping creatures that were attacking them. She couldn't see if it had hit any and grabbed it as it flew back towards her. "Any progress, Miroku?"

"You're asking me? I can't see two feet in front of me!" Miroku tripped over a root and did a face-plant. "My point stands."

"We need light." Sango drew her sword and hacked a nearby screeching thing. She could feel something warm coat her hand and knew she had struck true.

"Kirara," Miroku said blandly, spitting out dirt. He got up and threw a sutra; it hit something and with crackling blue lightning, lit it up for one moment before blowing it up. "OK. That wasn't too pleasant a sight."

The creature had looked like a bird. But no bird could have looked as malformed and ugly as that one had. Its wings were huge black feathery things and the claws were enormous, able to clasp an infant with ease. The beak was cruelly curved and the head of the bird looked leathery and scaly, with two beady eyes.

"What kind of birds are these?" Sango slammed one down into the ground.

"Not…normal birds, that's for sure!!" Miroku slashed at one with his staff, sending it flying into a tree.

"_KWAAAAA!!_" they heard a piercing shriek.

The other "birds" answered in kind, nearly destroying Miroku's and Sango's eardrums. "_KWAAAAA!!_"

"Sango! Miroku!" they heard someone small shout.

"Stay back, Shippo!" Sango called back.

A growl was heard as Kirara fired up her fires (A/N Sounds stupid, I know.). Suddenly, Miroku and Sango could _see._ They saw the way the birds were all flying around in the sky. They saw the few casualties on the ground and gagged as they saw the internal organs. (A/N Just because they make a living slaying demons doesn't mean they've seen _these_ kinds of demons. Believe you me, it's gross.)

"They're circling around something," Sango pointed out.

"But what?" Miroku squinted in the light of Kirara's fires. "It's…huge."

Then came the loudest shriek of all. "_GRUWAAAAAA!!_"

Both stumbled backwards as the enormous thing struck land. The wings knocked over trees as it flapped them. The talons were easily the size of a bus and the head looked feathery, leathery, and scaly all in one.

"Something tells me I don't want to know what thing can do." Miroku stood up and prepared to open up the glove on his hand.

"Wait, Miroku." Sango laid a hand on the monk's shoulder. "Maybe we can speak to it."

"I'm going to pretend you haven't lost your sanity," Miroku said.

"I'm not kidding."

"I was afraid of that."

"Who are you?!" Sango shouted up to the enormous bird-like creature.

A shriek was an answer.

"There. No one's talking," Miroku said hastily. "Let's just suck them in and go."

Then, an enormous grating noise filled the air. It took the two of them several moments to register that there were words within the sound.

"Mind repeating that?!" Sango hollered up.

"She's lost it. She's talking to a _bird_," Miroku muttered. "My friend, the youkai-slayer, is talking to a gigantic, ugly, unearthly _bird._"

"Shh," Sango shushed him.

"ARROGANT ANIMALS!!" the voice went on. The two watched in fascination as the beak clacked together to make the horrible sound.

"He called _us_ animals?" Miroku asked.

"_Quiet!_" Sango hissed. "It's speaking!"

"I AM THE GREAT LORD OF THE BAT-BIRDS, KAGAI!!" (A/N Kagai means "evil" in Japanese.)

"Nice to meet you, Kagai," Miroku said in a jovial tone, "mind telling us where we are?"

Sango did a face-palm. '_What an idiot._'

"YOU ARE IN MY DOMAIN, ANIMAL!! SPEAK TO ME WITH RESPECT!!"

"Eh--okay." Miroku backed up and shoved Sango forward. "Your turn."

Sango took a breath and said, "Where are we, Lord Kagai? In what world do we live in?"

"AN ANIMAL THAT SPEAKS, HOW AMUSING!!" Kagai cackled, sending the smaller bat-birds cackling as well.

Sango smiled stiffly. Anyone who was familiar with her knew what that smile meant: Don't mess with me.

"THE WORLD WITHOUT LIGHT, WHERE THE BAT-BIRDS REIGN SUPREME!!" Kagai screamed for everyone to hear. "THREE MILLION YEARS HAVE WE LIVED LIKE THIS!!"

"OK, definitely not where we live," Miroku said. "Shippo, you still there?"

"Yes," the small kitsune squeaked.

"Keep hiding, okay? Kirara, tone down the flames a bit."

"Why?" Shippo asked.

"It's going to come in useful later," Miroku said simply. Kirara gave a growl and extinguished her flames, casting them in full darkness. "I wonder if he noticed."

"I think they're partially blind," Sango whispered. "Bats don't have good eyesight. They rely on hearing and not on sight to help find their prey."

"Yes, but they're not bats."

"They've called themselves _bat_-birds. I think that has some significance, don't you?" Sango then raised her voice, "Do you know where we can find a human settlement, oh, Lord Kagai?"

"HUMAN SETTLEMENT?! WHAT IS A HUMAN??"

"_Definitely_ not our world."

"Stop saying that, Miroku," Sango said. "I think we get the message."

"ARE YOU HUMANS?!"

"You could say that," Sango hollered back. "We don't belong here!"

"THEN HOW ARE YOU HERE?!"

"Good point," Miroku said in a low voice to Sango. "How _did_ we get here?"

"Think back." Sango flashed back to when they had taken off.

_Flashback:_

**"It's too foggy to see a thing," Sango said to Miroku. **

**They were in the air after having taken off to the village where Miya needed to go. After several minutes of tense flying, they had suddenly been enveloped in a thick fog that didn't even let them see the land.**

**"I agree. If it weren't for the fact that we are in such close proximity to each other, I would think that I'm alone."**

**"Somehow, the way you say it doesn't exactly reassure me," Sango said.**

**"You got that right," Shippo said. "It sounds like he's planning on groping you any second."**

**"Have you no faith in me?"**

**"Hmm. Let me think…. Oh now I have the answer. No, I don't." Sango moved her Hiraikotsu so that Miroku couldn't touch her inappropriately.**

**"The fog's clearing up," Shippo pointed out.**

**Several minutes later, the four were in darkness, lit up only by Kirara's fires.**

_End Flashback._

"We traveled in fog until we arrived in your world," Sango explained.

"THE WORLD BETWEEN THE WORLDS!!" Kagai shrieked.

"The world between the worlds?" Miroku repeated, a blank look on his face.

"IT IS WHAT CONNECTS US TO EVERYTHING IN THE UNIVERSE!!" Kagai said.

"Connects us to everything in the universe?" Sango said. "Does that mean…Miya?"

"REPEAT THAT NAME!!"

"Eh?" Sango stumbled backwards at the ferocity in the tone.

"REPEAT THAT NAME YOU JUST UTTERED, HUMAN!!"

"Miya?" Miroku prompted.

"ARE YOU AN ACQUAINTANCE?!"

"He has a vocabulary?" Miroku said blankly.

"Oh, shut up." Sango shoved Miroku roughly. "You could say that, Lord Kagai. Do you know her?"

"THE HUMAN THAT DARED TO AFOUL OUR LANDS HAS RETURNED?!" Kagai paused and then added, "SHE IS A HUMAN?"

"Affirmative." Miroku nodded. "Well, this is strange. I didn't classify Miya as the type to acquaint herself with these….bat-birds."

Sango refrained from uttering a retort and said to Kagai, "She isn't here. Did something happen?"

"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED!! THE HUMAN RAN INTO OUR SACRED GROUNDS WITH A FULL-FLEDGED ARMY ON HER HEELS!!"

"He knows what heels are?" Miroku said.

Shippo couldn't repress a small laugh.

Sango frowned at Miroku's poor attempt at making a joke and said to Kagai, "What kind of army? Would it be shadows?"

"THOSE ACCURSED THINGS HAVE EATEN MANY OF MY FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS!!" Kagai shrieked. "THEY ARE FEARED EVERYWHERE AS THE WRAITHS THAT LIVE IN THE WORLD SHROUDED BY MIST!!"

"This is getting weirder by the second." Sango frowned. "Well, I guess we can ask them how to get home." She raised her voice, "How can we get home, Lord Kagai?"

Silence. Then the air was wrought with laughter from the bat-birds.

"Did I say something?" Sango asked.

"Don't ask me." Miroku shook his head.

"YOU WANT TO GO HOME?! BE LUCKY YOU'RE EVEN ALIVE!!" Kagai shook with laughter.

"I think we can handle ourselves," Sango said stiffly.

"I AM BORED WITH THESE ACCURSED HUMANS. SOMEONE ELSE SPEAK." Kagai settled down to watch, amused.

"Humans," a nearby bat-bird said. (A/N I'm going to call it "Batty" now.)

"Er--yes?" Miroku gave it a dazzling smile.

"No one…" Batty paused then continued, "No one knows how to move from realm to realm. If one stumbles into the world wrought with mist, they're lucky to escape alive from the grasp of the wraiths."

"Ah. So how do you propose we leave?" Sango asked.

Batty stared at her out of his beady little eyes. "If you wish to leave, foolish human, you wander till you encounter fog. When you enter, you wander yet again till you find a portal to another realm. Luck is needed for those who wish to return to their own realm."

"Very….helpful," Sango said.

"IT'S TIME TO GO, LOYAL FOLLOWERS!!" Kagai suddenly screamed, making the two friends jump. "FARE THEE WELL, HUMANS, AND TELL THE ACCURSED HUMAN WHO AFOULED OUR SACRED LANDS THAT THE WRAITHS SEEK HER STILL!!"

With more shrieks, the bat-birds left the group in the darkness, and among a hailstorm of black feathers.

"You know, we could've asked who Miya really was," Miroku said after a moment of silence.

"She's a girl," Shippo said, sneaking out from behind a tree. Kirara lit up her fires again, allowing the group to see each other.

"Besides that."

Sango sighed and hefted her boomerang back to its original position. "Any suggestions onto how we're going to get home? That bat-bird made it sound pretty hopeless."

Silence.

"We're doomed," Shippo said mournfully.

* * *

Miya shot another arrow at the shadow wraith, which simply dodged it. When the wraith came to close for her liking she whacked it away with her bow.

"You can't fight forever, girl," it sneered.

"Neither can you," she replied.

"My limits far exceed that of yours, mortal."

"Oh, now I'm a 'mortal' and not a 'girl'?" Miya smiled. "My limits are more than that of which you think."

On the other hand, Inuyasha was trying, without success, to cut Naraku's youketsu. Something seemed to be blocking his sight.

"Why can't I see anything?!" Inuyasha cried out in frustration. He hacked at a tentacle, which Naraku promptly regenerated. "Fine! Kaze no Kizu!!" He swung the sword down.

Naraku's body was blown apart by the attack but in minutes, he had regenerated himself again.

"You never learn, do you, Inuyasha?" Naraku asked.

"I don't need to learn anything to know I need to beat you!" the hanyou snapped.

"True," Miya said, suddenly appearing by his side, "but you _do_ need to know something's blocking your sight." She jabbed a thumb in the direction of the wraith, which she had pinned to a boulder.

"What's he got to with anything?!"

"Remember when I said, 'with your mind, you can accomplish anything'?" Inuyasha nodded. "That's what the wraith is doing. He's blocking your sight mentally."

"And the rebounding when I tried the Kaze no Kizu before?" Inuyasha remembered the lack of a barrier. "Naraku didn't have anything up."

"That was its doing as well," Miya said, refraining from using 'him'. "He formed a mental barrier that can rebound attacks."

"And you know this how?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously.

"Uh--I study a lot?"

"Yeah, right." Inuyasha rested his sword on his shoulder.

"Hmph. You two are such _nuisances,_" Naraku said, reeling his tentacles back in.

"Glad to see it's mutual," Miya said.

Suddenly, Naraku's body was surrounded by purple smoke.

"Wow. This guy needs to tone it down on the special effects," Miya said nonchalantly.

"That's shouki, stupid!"

"And it has something do with us how?"

Inuyasha wondered if the girl was crazy. "It's aimed towards us. And it's _poisonous._"

"Ah, I get ya." Miya put up her hands, palms outward. "Just don't move."

"Why?" Inuyasha mentally braced himself for a quick getaway.

"I mean it," Miya said in a low voice, "_don't move._"

'_What is she, a mind reader?_'

Then a voice, not Inuyasha's, talked, '_You could say that._'

"Hey, who's in my head?!" Inuyasha demanded.

'_I am._'

'_Who're you?!_'

'_I'm standing in front of you, baka._ _Now don't think, it divides my concentration._'

Inuyasha just managed to bite back his thought retort. The shouki began to surround the two, much to Inuyasha's horror. Miya had a face of intense concentration on and her focus was only on her task.

Forgetting the other voice in his head's warning, Inuyasha thought, '_We're dead._'

'_I __**told**__ you not to think!_' Damn. The voice was back again.

Slowly the shouki surrounded began to sink in. Inuyasha realized that what had held the shouki away for so long was in fact an invisible dome. He also noticed that Miya was panting rather heavily.

"Hey, you all right?" he asked her.

"Do I _look_ all right to you?!" she snapped. Her face was becoming pale. "Try to get us out of here because I can't hold up this shield for much longer!"

"Shield?" Miya shot him a glare. "Yeah, yeah. Get us out of here. Hold your breath, this is going to sting."

Inuyasha grabbed Miya and gave a powerful jump with his legs upwards. He felt Miya relax in his arms as he traveled upwards through the shouki. Finally, he broke free of it and managed to see Naraku still spewing where they had been with the poisonous miasma. The 

shadow wraith Miya had temporarily trapped to the boulder had broken free and was sitting on the boulder where he had been trapped.

"Come on, Miya, hang in there," Inuyasha said. He flew into the shouki again before jumping outwards and landing in the clear air. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, holding her head. "I've just got a _really_ bad headache. Didn't I tell you not to think?"

"Hang on. _You_ were the one in my head?!"

"Didn't I just say that?"

"Looks like you two survived my shouki," Naraku said. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Because I've done it before," Inuyasha said. He let Miya go and drew his Tessaiga, which he had sheathed prior to picking her up. "Now prepare to die, (censored)!!"

"Run, Inuyasha," Miya said faintly.

The hanyou ignored her. "Ready for your last minutes, Naraku?"

"Now would I be ready for that? I'm still alive and healthy," Naraku said.

"Define your definition of 'healthy'."

"Step back, Inuyasha," Miya said.

"What?" Miya pushed Inuyasha and stepped before him.

"If you two won't leave by your own will," she said in an even voice, "I'll just have to make you."

"And how will you do that?" Naraku raised an eyebrow. "You only have two arrows left in your quiver and those will hardly do any good to me."

The shadow on the rock remained silent.

"I don't need arrows. Not when I've got my mind." Miya closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"What will you do? Curse me in your thoughts to death?" Naraku said scornfully.

'_Ah, he's got a point,_' Inuyasha thought.

'_Just shut up and watch._'

Miya moved her hands as if pushing someone away. Both Naraku and the wraith were pushed back violently. Then she closed her right hand and Naraku vanished. Then, with an obscure gesture Inuyasha couldn't decipher, the shadowy wraith writhed uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Miya's breaths were becoming more and more labored.

Finally, with a last writhe, the wraith disappeared and Miya fell backwards into Inuyasha's arms.

"Hey, you okay?" Inuyasha looked at Miya, who was unconscious. "Just great. Kagome's missing; Sango and Miroku nowhere to be seen, and I missed my chance at killing Naraku. Plus, now I've got more questions about her than ever." He hefted her onto his back and jumped into the air. "Guess I better find my way out of here before I try to revive her."

He ran off into the mist.

* * *

The shadow wraith appeared in the fog, clutching its head and growling.

"Curse you!!" it howled, clutching its head in pain. "Just you wait! I'm going to get you!" It looked over to the dark-haired girl it held captive. "I wonder what you'll think when your dear friend turns up dead and all because you defied me."

It walked over to Kagome, red light beginning to form around its hands, a sharp-toothed grin on its shadowy face.

* * *

**An extra long chapter to make up for not updating sooner. Unfortunately, I've got two other stories to attend to and am busy with them so I can't attend to this story as much as I'd like to.**

**Unless, of course, this story draws in LOTS of reviews. In that case, I **_**may**_** change my mind. So, get to reviewing!!**


	7. Miya's History

**(waves to everybody) Hi there! I know it's been a while (again) but I had to finish my other story. Now that's done so I can focus some more on this story. Thanks for your patience! Did you know **_**InuYasha**_** is finished? I really loved the ending!**

**Thanks to Half-Demon Cali for reviewing!**

**Half-Demon Cali: You guessed right! She's psychic!**

**DISCLAIMER: (stares at word) Isn't it already obvious if I'm writing that? I don't own anything from this story except the plotline and my OC, Miya.**

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"Not yet."

"Is it still dark?"

Sango sighed, having heard enough of Shippo's questions over the last so many hours. "Yes, it is still dark. Please, Shippo, try and stay quiet. We don't know what's out there."

"There's nothing out there," Miroku said flatly. "Other than giant, talking bat-birds with an attitude or creepy trees with finger-like branches."

"There might be snakes," Sango retorted.

"Here? Why would there be snakes in this world? It's not even our world!"

"I know." Sango stopped and turned around to face the others. She had been leading the group. "Look, we better keep our eyes open because we don't know what could happen next. We also have to stick together so that nothing takes us by surprise. It wouldn't be pleasant if one of us ended up in that misty world and left the rest behind."

"You're right about that," Miroku admitted.

"I really hate this place," Shippo said.

"Shh," Sango cautioned him.

Successively, they all stepped over a tree root and ducked under a huge, bare branch. Sango constantly had one hand on her Hiraikotsu; Miroku's staff was at the ready; Kirara was as ferocious as always; and Shippo was hiding his face in her neck fur. Needless to say, he was very scared of his surroundings.

Sango braced a hand against a trunk as she stopped, looking down at what was before her.

"What?" Miroku asked in a low voice. "Is there something wrong, Sango?"

"Be careful," Sango said over her shoulder. "There's a huge crevasse here. Try not to fall. I can't promise that Kirara will be right there."

"A crevasse?" Miroku peered over her shoulder as Sango edged sideways. "Do you want to walk by it?"

"It'll be better than walking in circles," Sango said. "I'm not sure if we haven't been doing that in the first place. We'll at least have something to direct ourselves by."

"Why don't we fly over?" Shippo inquired.

"It was Miroku's idea to not fly," Sango said, glancing at the monk. "Why don't you want us to fly?"

"It's just a feeling but I think we'll have a better chance of encounter that world Kagai spoke of if we stay on the ground," Miroku answered. "I've learned to trust my feelings."

"Come on. Watch your step." Sango stayed as close to the trees as she could while sticking to the crevasse.

The small group spent several minutes just walking by the crevasse and trying not to trip over tree roots and plunge to their death. They couldn't see anything beyond what Kirara's fires were lighting and even then their surroundings didn't look friendly.

It all happened so quickly. One second Sango was stepping over a tree root and the next her hair was caught by some small twigs from a much larger branch. She stumbled, her hair getting caught in it. Inadvertently, she fell towards the crevasse, not being able to find anything to hold on to.

"_Sango_!"

* * *

She groaned, slowly coming to consciousness. She had a splitting headache and her bed was uncomfortable to say the least.

"You awake yet?" a rough voice greeted her.

She knew that voice. "Inuyasha?"

"Who else?"

Miya opened her eyes to see the hanyou sitting by her on a rock. She sat up slowly, her world spinning slightly before orienting itself and staying still. Miya placed a hand to her forehead and tried to keep her senses about her. Her eyes roved over to Inuyasha. He was looking down at the ground, obviously not in the best of moods.

"Are we out of the swamp?" Miya asked, taking the hand off her forehead.

"What does it look like?" Inuyasha said roughly.

"I'm just asking." Miya took a look at their surroundings. It was night; she had been out for a good several hours. She sighed, realizing that it was time lost. "I gather that the others still haven't made their way here?"

"No. I haven't seen, heard, or smelled them."

"That's bad," Miya murmured.

"What else do you want to say? That they decided to take a rest stop and are having tea?"

"No." Miya inclined her head forward, looking sober. "If Naraku has now entered the equation, it means trouble. I can only hope that he won't team up with the Leader."

" 'Equation'?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying? Do you have all this planned out?"

"I thought I did," Miya said. "But it looks like I don't."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "I've got some questions about you and you had better answer them. Other than the 'equation' thing."

Miya adjusted her position so she was sitting more comfortably with her legs crossed and her hands folded in them. "Ask. I'll try to answer them as best as I can."

"How did you manage to speak in my head?"

The girl sighed. "I figured that would raise questions." Before Inuyasha could say anything, she continued, "You could say I'm a mind reader…among other things."

"Among what other things?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously. "And how did you come to be a mind reader anyway?"

"It runs in the blood," Miya explained. "My family…" she trailed off. Then she shook her head and went on in a more resolute voice, "Let me start properly.

"My name is Miya like you know. But what you _don't_ know is that I'm not from here. I'm not from Japan or even from this world. I'm from somewhere entirely different that's similar to Earth but yet not similar."

"How is it not similar?" Inuyasha interrupted.

"I'm getting to that. That world you found me in—it's the world between the worlds or the world shrouded in mist. In a way, it serves as a barrier," Miya said. "You have to cut through that world to travel between places like this one and the one I came from. But you can't do it intentionally. That world opens up on its own and it's very unreliable."

Her voice was low now. "My world was filled with people that had powers similar to my own. I'm one that comes from a family among few families that have a wide range of the powers displayed there. Some would have the ability to read minds and transmit thoughts in turn; others would be able to move things; and yet others would be able to shield themselves from attacks or violently attack opponents themselves."

"What do you mean by 'family among few families that have a wide range of the powers displayed there'?" Inuyasha quoted.

"There were several powerful families with exceptional minds on that world," Miya said. "They were granted access to mind reading, telekinesis—which is the art of moving things with one's mind—and the art of attacking or defending. I was born into one such family."

"Why's your name Japanese then if you're from a different world?"

"Our culture integrated the cultures from other worlds. My family was one that particularly favored the Japanese culture. Anything else?" Miya waited for the next question.

"That 'barrier world' you were talking about—what else do you know about it?" Inuyasha asked next.

"It goes by many names. One is 'the world shrouded by mist'; another is 'the world between the worlds'; another is 'the barrier between the worlds'; and yet another is 'the curtain between the worlds'," Miya explained. "My world knew of this place because of the experience gained through encountering this world. It opened in more places and more frequently on my world than anywhere else from what I know. It's a world of great mystery…and great danger.

"It's inhabited by shadow wraiths of the kind you saw in the swamp and they're lead by one powerful one that's called the Leader"—her voice was bitter here—"and they took many of my people's lives. It's a dangerous and forbidden place for my world but people can't help but fall into it since it opens so irregularly and in many places."

Inuyasha absorbed all this information for a moment. "That's…new."

"You think?" Miya put her chin in both hands. "But you still have more questions."

"I do," Inuyasha said. "Why was that guy after you?"

"You mean the Leader?" Miya was in thought for a moment. "This gets complicated, Inuyasha, so try and bear with me."

"I'll try."

"When I was still a small child—around four or five—my family had an encounter with the world shrouded in mist." Her eyes were lost in memories and the blue seemed to be even stormier than usual. "It was my grandfather who met the Leader during a chance fall into that dangerous world. The leader tried to eat him but he retaliated using his abilities. My grandfather won against the Leader and managed to get out of that world and back into his own. It didn't happen without dangerous consequences though.

"Our family was now on the hit list of the shadow wraiths. For some reason, more openings occurred around our home and my family kept falling into it. Many of those lost were not that skilled with using their own mind powers and they didn't stand a chance." Her face was shrouded in shadows. "I was trained skillfully by my grandfather—one of the greatest fighters my world has known. So, when my parents were taken by the wraiths, I had no one but my grandfather to rely on.

"We survived for a few years, by which time I was ten I think and my world had fallen into relative chaos with the wraiths appearing and the people fighting amongst themselves. At times, it seemed like we were the only two sane ones left alive for even the other powerful families like my own had joined the fights. It didn't last, though."

Miya took a breath and continued, "It came as a shock to me one time when my grandfather was taken. I should have expected it by the time it happened. He was old and failing slightly in his mind. The use of his abilities had taken its toll on him over time. After he died by at the wraiths' hands, I was the only left of my bloodline and had nowhere else to go for the rest of my world was still fighting horribly. It came as a relief then when I fell into that world myself and couldn't find my way back. Ever since then, I've been running from world to world, just trying to keep the wraiths off my heels. And that's my story," Miya finished.

Inuyasha let a moment go by for all that history to sink in. Miya had been right: It w_as_ complicated. Who knew that this innocent looking girl would actually be from a different world that was in complete chaos and had people with devastating abilities concerning the mind? It seemed like nothing was ordinary for him.

"You don't have it easy, do you?" Inuyasha finally said.

Miya gave a bitter laugh. "What gave you that idea?"

* * *

_It walked over to Kagome, red light beginning to form around its hands, a sharp-toothed grin on its shadowy face._

Just as the Leader was about to strike, an unexpected voice spoke, "No wonder Inuyasha was so upset. You have Kagome."

The Leader cut the red light off, surprised. "Who's there?" it hissed.

A long, dark-haired man appeared, tentacles waving eerily. "I am."

"You're the freak from the swamp."

"I have a proposition for you," Naraku said, ignoring the insult. "Don't kill Kagome yet."

"And why should I listen to you?" the Leader whispered in a deathly tone. "You have no idea what the loss of a friend will do to impact the mortal's mind."

"I may not know the girl but I do know how Inuyasha's mind works," Naraku said. "Killing Kagome now will simply anger him to the point where his rational mind is overcome by his demonic side. I suggest you leave her alive…for now."

"And then what?" The Leader did seem to be listening.

"Wouldn't it be better to kill her when the girl is actually here?" Naraku suggested, his dark eyes glittering coldly. "Imagine how she would feel if it happens before her very eyes while she stands here…helpless…"

"An excellent plan," the Leader hissed, "but how can I trust you? And why?"

"Because I know how her friends' minds work," Naraku answered. "And if what you imply about the girl's is true, it will surely break her will. As for how? Surely you should know that best."

The Leader grinned creepily. "You and I might work well together. For now."

Naraku smiled a small smile, letting his eyes rove over the inactive Kagome. For now, he had at least averted her death.

* * *

**Um, this chapter wasn't too bad, right? Well, at any rate, you guys now know about Miya's history. If you still have questions, just ask and I might be able to put it in the story. If not, I'll just tell you. 'Kay?**

**There were only three scenes because I REALLY wanted to get this chapter out. In any case, do you mind reviewing? Please? What do you think about Miya? Is she a Mary Sue? I've heard about those and I really hope she isn't.**


	8. A Few Minor Developments

**I am FULLY aware that I said I would update more frequently. The thing is…I've been busy with my other stories. Again. But there are only a few more chapters of this story to go so I'm still plodding through. Right now, I am not in an **_**InuYasha**_** mindset, the way I was when I started. In any case, the least I can do is keep the characters in character and in proper form.**

**Thanks to Half-Demon Cali for reviewing!**

**Half-Demon Cali: I had no problem typing Miya's background out. It was stewing for a while. I'm glad you enjoyed that last chapter.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own. Happy? But I do own Miya.**

* * *

"So, do you have any ideas on what we're going to do now?"

Inuyasha and Miya were once again flying through the forest. Or perhaps a more accurate term would be running since Inuyasha couldn't technically "fly".

"I think we should stick to our original plan," Miya said, sitting on Inuyasha's back. "Sango and Miroku aren't around at the moment and Kagome isn't getting any safer with each passing second."

"I know that." Inuyasha pushed off the ground and leapt high above the trees, providing Miya with a great view of the surrounding areas. "Where to?"

"I would probe around to see where a cluster of people are located but I still have a headache from Ku-chan so I'm just gonna take a guess and say go west."

"Why west?" Inuyasha landed on the ground.

"Because I saw something dark that might be a village," Miya responded. "Just trust me, all right? I've been doing this jig a lot longer than you have."

"Wanna bet?" Inuyasha muttered darkly but took off in the desired direction, which was to their left.

* * *

"_Sango_!"

Sango had no breath left to speak; she was too busy trying to focus on not panicking aloud. The only problem was that without anything beneath her to support her groping arm, she would most likely start panicking.

Miroku, on the other hand, had plenty of breath to both yell and think as fast as he could. With only one option left to him, Miroku dropped his staff, grabbed on a sturdy branch, and clasped Sango's hand just before it almost slipped out of reach. His arm was almost jerked out of his socket with the force that it took and he knew that Sango's neck and arm must be hurting now.

Sure enough, when he looked he noted that Sango was unconscious. He only hoped that he hadn't broken her neck with the abrupt fall.

"Sango!" Shippo squeaked, just now looking up. "Is she okay?"

Miroku breathed heavily, trying to figure out how to heave her up to firm land without slipping off himself. His dilemma was solved when Kirara took off and flew under Sango, letting the limp youkai-slayer drape over her back. Miroku released the woman he secretly loved once he was sure that Kirara had her.

His own safety now assured, Miroku let go of the branch slowly and reached for his staff, stepping back into the protective shadows of the trees. He instantly lost visibility of the enormous crevasse, much to his relief. Kirara alighted next to him, keeping her fires on as Miroku hefted Sango to the ground.

"Thank God," he breathed, brushing Sango's hair out of her face. She was alive. "I thought I'd lose her for sure."

He looked up to see Shippo looking at him slyly. He panicked again but this time for a completely different.

"Uh, I—I meant that I thought _we'd_ lose her!" he stammered, trying to cover up his mistake.

'_Sure._' Shippo smirked but decided that he could torture Miroku about this later.

* * *

"Is this a good enough place?" Inuyasha let Miya drop.

Miya examined the small and thriving market. "I think this'll be fine."

"What do you need anyway?" The hanyou followed Miya to a stall with various powders in jars.

"Some of these actually." Miya touched one on the stopper and raised an eyebrow at the stall keeper. "May I?"

The stall keeper shrugged. "Why not?"

"Thanks," she murmured, lifting the jar up to eye level and inspecting the powder inside it.

Quite frankly, Inuyasha couldn't see anything out of the ordinary about it. It looked like ordinary powder to him. It even sparkled a little as a result of the minerals inside it. His nose twitched; even the smell wasn't unusual. Was she leading him on a wild goose chase? He'd have to hope not because then he could kiss seeing Kagome goodbye. (Not literally kiss, of course.)

But much to his surprise, Miya smiled and laid some coins on the countertop. "This will be enough?"

The stall keeper waved her off, eyeing Inuyasha balefully. "Come again."

"Not likely actually," Miya muttered under her breath so only Inuyasha could hear. She picked up the pace. "Come on, Inuyasha. I need one more item."

"What?" Inuyasha followed after her since he had no idea where she was headed. He stopped short when he saw what shop they were heading for. "A _rug_ shop?"

"Not exactly," Miya disagreed, pushing aside the door as she stepped inside.

"Enlighten me then." Inuyasha was about to step inside when the smell hit him. He instantly thought better of it and stayed outside.

Waiting impatiently for several minutes, he had just decided to risk the smell and step in when Miya stepped out, looking decidedly pleased.

"Found what you were looking for?" Inuyasha wrinkled his nose at the smell again. It was a mixture of rotten cheeses, dried out grasses, and a few other smells he couldn't quite identify.

"Yeah, I did." Miya held up a small bag. "We're set for opening up the gate."

"The gate?"

"Do you want me to call it a hole? I figure 'gate' works better."

"Call it what you will. Where's our stop for this?" Inuyasha sincerely hoped it wasn't all the way back in Kaede's village. He hadn't the patience necessary for another trip like that. Especially if Naraku showed up and delayed them again.

"We need an area of especially high spiritual density for this operation." Miya held out a map. "I got this so I could plan out our route." She knelt down on the ground and laid it flat, looking at the landscape. She instantly pointed out a hilly area. "That's where we'll go."

Inuyasha groaned. It was even further than Kaede's village.

"No problem." Miya's eyes were glittering strangely. "I got the supplies necessary for a teleporting, too, so we don't have to run."

Inuyasha was suspicious. "What's 'teleporting'?"

* * *

"Do you need water, Miroku?" Shippo asked, standing next to Miroku as he inspected Sango's neck for injuries.

"Where would you get this water?" Miroku leaned back, partially satisfied that the woman wasn't mortally injured in any way. "I think she should be waking up soon anyway."

Sure enough, Sango groaned and stirred. A minute later, she opened her eyes and groaned again. "Miroku?"

"Are you all right, Sango?" Miroku pressed a hand to her chest. "You're not hurt?"

There was silence for a few moments as Sango glared at the perverted monk. "Why do you have a hand on my breast?"

"Why, I don't know what you mean," Miroku said innocently.

There was a loud slapping sound in the next second and then Sango got up, rubbing her shoulder muscles and making sure everything was in working order. Miroku had a red hand emblazoned on his cheek and was feigning an injured look.

"I really don't know what you mean," Miroku protested once more. "Isn't it natural for a friend to be concerned?"

"Do friends grope their friends?" Sango shot him a dark look out of the corner of her eye. There could have been an electric spark shooting from it.

Miroku shivered unnoticeably before changing the subject. "I don't think we should walk there."

Sango sighed, having completed her inventory and judged that she was fit. "No need to tell me that. I have no desire to lose my life falling down that stupid canyon."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that a canyon is grander."

Sango repressed an eye roll. "Sure. Now let's go and try to find our way out of here."

Both Miroku and Sango got to their feet; Shippo jumped onto Sango's shoulder.

"Are you sure you're all right, Sango?" Shippo inquired.

"I'm fine, Shippo," Sango assured. "It was just a shock." She shot Miroku another dirty look before continuing. "Our main concern should be getting out of here."

"How are we doing that?"

"Well, you did hear Kagai that there's no way to ascertain that that the 'world between the worlds' opens," Sango replied. "He also said that our best bet is to just wander around until we stumble into it."

"But we've wandered!" Shippo whined.

"Quiet, Shippo," Miroku warned.

"Why?" Shippo softened his tone.

"There's something going on." Miroku touched Sango's shoulder. "Look."

"Where?" Sango squinted into the dark but couldn't see anything.

Miroku pointed to their right, which headed further into the forest. "Can you see that?"

Sango inspected the area that Miroku had pointed out and then caught sight of what he had presumably seen. There were tendrils creeping along the ground. Her breath caught as she tried to identify what it was. Unfortunately, there was too little light to notice much more than that the tendrils were just that: tendrils.

"What are they?" Sango whispered, feeling the need to keep her voice low.

"I really don't know," Miroku whispered back. He let Shippo hop over his shoulder to land on Kirara's back so that he could hide his face in the youkai's neck fur. "If I had to hazard a guess…I'd say those were roots. Normally I wouldn't say that but here I don't know what sort of creatures exist."

"_Roots_?" Shippo whimpered, his tail quivering like nuts.

"Bur roots don't move. Right?" Sango murmured, frowning as she tried to scan out the source of the "roots".

"You don't know what can happen here," Miroku cautioned her. "I'd advise you to be on your guard."

"What do you take me for? A gullible child?" Sango shot back.

"Just saying." Miroku drew back slightly, checking their back. So far, he could tell they weren't being surrounded. That was a positive. On the other hand, it was so dark that if they _were_ being surrounded, he couldn't see. He just had to hope that it was the former and not the latter.

"They're not roots," Sango breathed, shock written all over her face. "It's—it's _smoke_."

"Beg your pardon?" Miroku tried to compare the tendrils and the image of smoke. He couldn't see the similarities.

"Well, not smoke," Sango amended. "It's _fog_."

"Fog?" Miroku still didn't see the similarities. "I don't get it."

Sango pointed to the dark recesses of the bony trees. "Do you see that? I've never seen anything like it."

This time, Miroku really looked. And when he did, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was literally a bank of something flowing to their location. If Sango was right and it was fog, it would be white under some light. In fact, now that the first of the tendrils were only several feet away, Kirara's fires fell on them, revealing them to be white.

"But if it's fog, what's it doing here?" Shippo asked.

"Think back, Shippo," Sango urged. "Remember when we found Miya? It was that same kind of fog. I'm guessing that this is our ticket out of here." She looked back at the three behind her. "Come on." Silently, Sango ran forwards and into the fog.

"Come on, Shippo," Miroku said. "We better hurry so we don't lose her. Literally." The monk leapt after her.

Shippo looked scared out of his wits as Kirara jumped after them. "Why me?" he whimpered. "I'm just a kid."

As the four ran into the misty world, leaving behind the dark, moonless world with the fearsome bat-demons, each one of them thought they heard a distant screech, as if Kagai was telling them goodbye.

* * *

**I am glad to say** **the plot has started moving further. It won't be much longer before this whole story is finished. A couple more chapters, though, definitely. I am on vacation at the moment for a whole two weeks so I'll have plenty of time to work on ALL of my stories.**

**In any case, enjoy this last chapter. And REVIEW please!**


	9. Personal Nightmares

**It's been a while. I know. I still have others to deal with, too. Right now I'm rotating all my stories. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Thanks to KiraraTwoTail and Half-Demon Cali for reviewing!**

**KiraraTwoTail: I'm ecstatic that you've decided to read this story! I'm glad you like it, too. I hope you like this latest chapter.**

**Half-Demon Cali: I'm guessing you like it? Let's see if this one leaves you speechless, too. XD**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own _InuYasha_ and I certainly don't own that 7up bottle on the table right now. Oh my God. Is that an OC I see with MY name on it? That's right! Miya belongs to me!**

* * *

"I still don't get this 'teleporting' thing," Inuyasha said yet again.

Miya sighed patiently, finishing the marking of a large circle that surrounded both of them. She had used some chalk that she had somehow kept in her clothes. "Instant transportation between places. That simple enough for you?"

"Instant?" Inuyasha still didn't seem convinced.

"Yes. Instant." Miya was now marking the inside of the circle with elaborate symbols. "Now be quiet. I need to concentrate for this."

'_How'd she learn a spell for teleporting anyway?_'

"And that includes thoughts!"

Inuyasha jumped, not having realized that Miya could hear him. He resisted the urge to sigh with impatience and settled for merely shaking his head. With every passing second, Kagome was more in danger than before.

Another few minutes later, Miya got up from her kneeling position and dusted off her pants, dropping the remnants of the chalk as she did so. Before Inuyasha could open his mouth, she reached into her robe and picked out the bag of weird leaves she had bought earlier. She took out a branch with three leaves and dropped it in the middle in a small circle specifically there for it. After that, she took out a small vial with a whitish powder and poured only a small pinch into her hand, letting it drop onto the leaves.

She tucked the vial away. "All right. That should do it." She stood next to Inuyasha and shot him a reprimanding look. "Are you going to be quiet during this or are you going to think like crazy about how stupid this is?"

Inuyasha flushed; he hadn't realized how obvious his thoughts were. "It's not my fault you can hear my thoughts," he grumbled.

"No," Miya agreed, "but you can at least keep a handle on it. I haven't yet learned how to block my mind from receiving."

"I'll try," Inuyasha said grudgingly. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Perfectly safe," Miya assured him. "Nothing can happen as long as I stay focused."

"And if you don't?"

"Well…let's just say that you'll be in two pieces."

Inuyasha had no time to say anything against it since Miya had already closed her eyes and was mouthing words that he couldn't catch. She had her hands out, palms facing the ground, and the hanyou could feel the air twisting and distorting right around them. It then extended to surround him as well so he was no longer seeing a clear picture of his surroundings, but rather a warped view where everything kept shifting.

He desperately wanted to think something but kept his mouth and mind locked shut, knowing that he couldn't risk having his legs here and his torso somewhere else. Something told him that wouldn't be pleasant in the least.

Then, so fast that he almost missed it if it weren't for his sharp eyesight, Miya snapped her arms together and into her chest as if cradling something to her bosom. His ears heard something deafening beyond the borders of the circle and he suspected—subconsciously so she couldn't hear—that if it weren't for the circle, they would probably be deaf.

And with an equally deafening but not quite deafening noise, Inuyasha promptly found himself in completely different surroundings. Bewildered, he twisted his head from left to right, examining the strange place they had ended up in.

It was hilly, woody, and there was a wicked view. There was also a mild breeze, stirring up his silvery-white hair and Miya's ponytail.

After taking stock of his surroundings did he realize that he should check if all his body parts had come along. A quick onceover revealed that everything was intact and in one piece. Even Tessaiga was in its sheath. Another look at Miya showed that she was also in one piece but swaying.

'_Swaying?_' Inuyasha stepped forward and supported her as she wobbled a little. "You okay?"

"Fine," she said, panting slightly.

"How are you gonna open the gate in this condition?"

"I can open it," she replied indignantly. "That was just a spell with a bit of my mind in it. In fact, opening the gate involves a spell, too. It's nothing that major. I just need to shove my mind behind it to fuel it, which explains why I'm out of breath." She had stopped wobbling so Inuyasha retracted his hand.

"Then you'll open it?" Inuyasha asked.

"Sure. Why wouldn't I?" Miya dug around in her robes and emerged with all the supplies she had gathered. "I just need to make one more sacred circle and place the required supplies in it and we're good to go."

"Glad to hear it." Inuyasha stepped backwards to let her do her work.

Once Miya was finished with yet another piece of chalk, she dropped almost the rest of the leaves, a few organs she had collected, and the bag she had bought a few hours (or was it minutes?) earlier into the small yet elaborate circle.

She clasped her hands together a few feet above it and looked straight at Inuyasha. "It'll work. And when it does, stick close to me."

Once more, Inuyasha watched her mouth form strange words. But this time, what happened was completely different. He stumbled back a step at the roaring noise assaulting his senses but tried to stay close to the raven-haired girl.

All hell had broken loose.

* * *

"Sango!" Miroku called. "Are you in here?"

It had been all of a minute and already they had lost sight of Sango. Miroku was worried out of his mind; Shippo had stuck his head into Kirara's fur; and the youkai cat was sniffing the air in distaste.

"_Sango!_"

"What?" The familiar black-haired figure of the youkai slayer appeared, the fog wreathing around her body. "I'm right here, Miroku."

"Oh good." Miroku sighed in relief and took a step further, the fog instantly replacing the area where he'd been earlier. "I thought I'd lost you."

"Like you lost Shippo and Kirara?"

"What?" Miroku turned around but didn't see the two youkais. "But I could've—they were right behind me!" He turned back to Sango. "Sango, you've got to—" He stopped upon seeing that he was alone. "Sango?"

* * *

Kirara had stopped, confused. One moment Miroku had been there and the next the fog had just obscured him. Her nose wasn't working in this mist either, something which she hated. She was completely useless in terms of tracking and the quivering youkai—no offense to Shippo—on her back wasn't much use either.

She growled, trying to ascertain whether or not she was alone.

"Kirara?" Shippo peeked up to see he was alone except for the youkai under him. "Where'd Miroku go? And Sango?"

Kirara didn't say anything beyond a low rumble in the back of her throat. She took a few anxious steps forward before taking another backwards, unsure of whether or not to proceed.

"They're gone, aren't they?" Shippo asked nervously. "This was a bad idea!"

Then, a noise to their left distracted their attention; Shippo's breath came out as he realized who was standing there.

* * *

'_It's so damp here,_' Sango thought, trudging through the mist. '_And I can't see three feet in front of me. How do I know that there won't be a pit right before my feet before I fall in?_'

"Hey, Miroku," she said aloud. "Do you think that there could be a pit right in front of us without us even realizing it?"

There was no answer behind her. Confused, Sango stopped and turned around. Her eyes widened as she took in the fact that no one was there.

"Miroku? Shippo?" Sango retraced several steps. "Kirara?" Her voice was raised in a shout. "CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

No answer came again. Her breaths became ragged as she realized that she was alone. Without rationalizing it through, the youkai slayer took off, hoping that she was going back the way she had come.

'_Stay calm. They can't be too far, can they?_' A noise stopped her short. '_Oh God._' Then she saw what had made it. "Wh—what?"

* * *

"How do you know which way you're going?" Inuyasha was trailing behind Miya, trying not to stray too far from her.

"With the amount of times I've been dropped in here, I have to know _something_ about the area," Miya replied. "It's really quite easy if you know how."

"So how do you know how?" Inuyasha asked.

"I can sense the openings to some extent," Miya explained. "It's a talent I managed to achieve after a couple of years of just stumbling around in here and falling through different openings. They have…different flavors, if you know what I mean."

Inuyasha thought about his sense of smell. "I think I do."

Miya gave a sharp nod. "Right. If I want to avoid a world that I don't like—and there are quite a few—I memorize the 'flavor' and steer clear of it. The world between the mists has a bland flavor, so it's easy to differentiate between this flavor and the ones belonging to the different openings."

"But?" Inuyasha prompted, sensing that she wasn't finished.

"But even that isn't foolproof," Miya admitted reluctantly, stopping to look at Inuyasha. "Sometimes there are no openings. When that happens, you're stuck in here until one opens."

Inuyasha drew in a sharp breath. "And…what if you can't sense the flavors? What then?"

"Like your friends?"

"Yeah."

"You'll have to rely on luck then," Miya said soberly. "This place…has many tricks up its sleeve. If you somehow manage to survive those, you'll still have to stumble upon an opening by chance. That's what I did for the first so many times." She adjusted her bow and sighed. "And if you do manage to find an opening…you'll have to pray that it's a world where you can survive."

"So my friends?" Inuyasha had a dry mouth.

"Are in big trouble if they're in here," she said. "I can find them…but just keep hoping that they're in one piece when I do."

* * *

Miroku held his staff grimly in the midst of the fog. "Great. What do I do now?"

"For starters, monk, you can say your prayers," a familiar voice sneered.

"Naraku!" Miroku tried to find the source of the voice. "Where are you?"

"You won't be able to find me that way." Naraku's voice was amused. "I only came here to do one thing…"

"Which would be what?" Miroku said loudly. "Hide in the shadows like a coward?"

"Of course not." Miroku fancied he could see Naraku's devilish face in the clouds. "You'll see why. Right…now."

Immediately the monk felt a scathing pain in his right hand. Crying aloud in shock, he ripped off the sacred beads to see what was up with it. Or he meant to. Before his hand could touch the beads, the string holding them together broke apart, sending the beads flying everywhere. His robes started swirling and a howling wind threatened to suck everything in.

"Aargh!" Miroku clutched his wrist, trying to draw away from his own hand. "But…but it's too _soon_!"

"Too soon because you were never even able to tell that woman that you loved her? Or too soon because you weren't able to sire a son to carry on your quest?" Naraku's evil laughter echoed in Miroku's ears. "Your days are numbered, monk. Or rather, they _were_ numbered. How many seconds will you last?"

Miroku grunted, trying to resist the horrible suctioning power of his Kazaana. It's not easy, though, when the thing doing the suctioning is your own hand.

'_Is this really the end? After everything I've been through?_'

* * *

"S—Sango? M—Miroku?" Shippo stammered. "Wh—what are you doing? Wh—why are you staring at me like that?"

Both of his friends were staring at him darkly, holding their weapons—Miroku's staff and Sango's Hiraikotsu—threateningly. In fact, it fully looked like they were planning on murdering the two youkais.

Shippo's tail started shaking like mad. "G—guys? Why—why aren't you saying anything?"

Both adults continued staring at them, their glares becoming darker. Sango even spread her legs apart, the arm holding her Hiraikotsu tightening.

Kirara then spread her legs, bristling furiously, snarling. She sensed that something was wrong, even though Miroku and Sango both smelled the same.

"Y—you're not thinking of throwing that, are you?" Shippo asked nervously, trying to stay calm but failing utterly.

Much to Shippo's alarm, Miroku also assumed a fighting pose, digging one hand into his robes for an o-fuda.

"Guys," Shippo pleaded. "What are you doing?"

Sango's eyes narrowed. "Youkai."

"Eep!" Shippo bolted upright, tail as straight as a stick—or as straight as its bushiness would allow. "I—I'm a youkai."

"And youkais die," Miroku said in a dead voice, drawing out the small pieces of paper Shippo had come to know so well.

What happened next sent both youkais reeling.

"Sango! Miroku! AAAAAH!!"

* * *

"K—Kohaku?" Sango let her Hiraikotsu drop to her side as she observed her younger brother in wonderment. "What…what are you doing here?"

The dark-haired boy stared at his sister out of cold eyes. "You didn't keep your promise," he accused.

"Wh—what are you talking about?"

"You told me you'd be right there. You lied. And I died. Alone." Kohaku's voice was cold, too.

Sango reeled back a step. "Kohaku," she pleaded. "You know that isn't true. I would've followed—believe me. I—I _tried_, remember?" She took a hesitant step forward. "Don't you remember, Kohaku?"

"You lied," Kohaku said again. "You left me alone. You're not my sister." In his hands was his infamous kusarigama, with which he had killed so many when he had been under Naraku's control. Now, Sango wasn't sure about whether or not he was free of the youkai's control or acting of his own free will.

"Kohaku," Sango pleaded again. "I _am_ your sister. Don't you remember me?"

"I remember that you abandoned me," Kohaku said coldly.

"I didn't! I stayed with you until the end!"

"Then where were you in death?"

Sango was silent. "I…"

"Exactly." Kohaku raised his weapon high. "Goodbye…Sango."

"Kohaku!" Sango still had her Hiraikotsu in one hand but forgot it was there, instead running forward, tears streaming from her eyes. "Don't!"

A loud ripping noise rent the air and there was a thud.

* * *

"You say this world drives people insane?" Naraku was standing a small distance away from the Leader, idly watching the red electricity whip around the still unconscious Kagome.

"It has done much more than that," the Leader hissed, crouching over double in his typical pose. "It has killed people without lifting a hand."

"It doesn't have hands."

"Regardless." The Leader brushed that comment off with a wave of its hand. "Anyone who comes in here faces unimaginable horrors. It is much more than a simple curtain. It is…an aaart."

"Fascinating," Naraku said, sounding as if it was anything but that. "And this girl has defied your…'art'?"

The Leader hissed violently. "The girl is an abomination! Fifty years I have waited to wipe out her clan! _Fifty_ years! And she is the last! The last and the most troublesome!"

"Indeed." It seemed oddly like Miroku in fact. "And she has driven you off?"

"She has learned the arts of navigating this world! Arts deemed sacred to the wraiths for millennia!" the Leader said, agitated.

"And can anyone else learn these arts?" Naraku asked.

"Of course not!" the Leader said, shooting Naraku a filthy glare out of its hollow eye sockets. "Only one with her talents and our abilities caaan."

"And what would her talents be?" Naraku was toying with the idea of absorbing her if she could give this wraith so much trouble. Perhaps those talents could also be useful in helping him deal with that hanyou…

The Leader grinned, which was a nasty sight to behold. "Perhaps that is something you should find out for yourself."

"Of course," Naraku murmured, his gaze drawing out to the far-reaching fog. '_And then again…perhaps this curtain will do my work for me by annihilating my enemies._' A small smile played at his lips as he thought of this.

* * *

**I completely dove off track. I had only meant to have Sango and the group wander around a bit, Miya and Inuyasha meet up with them, and then they fight the big bad guys. Instead, I ended up with this: each one of them in their own personal nightmares. That's what happens if you let this story have its own way. (sighs) Oh well. This only has a few more chapters to go at any rate. First comes the resolution of their nightmares (which will NOT be gruesome--it's K+), then the climax, and then the epilogue. Easy, no?**

**In any case, I hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter. There'll be more action next chapter. I have no idea when it'll be out. Just be patient, 'kay? XD REVIEW please!**


	10. Rescues

**I'm not dead. Nope. I've just been updating my other story and writing another few. In any case, this story has at most...four chapters to go, I think. Three to be realistic but four to be safe. And then my first ever fic on this site will be finished. Finally. XD**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Thanks to Half-Demon Cali and KiraraTwoTail for reviewing!**

**Half-Demon Cali: Naraku is a (beep). You'll find out what happens to Miroku here. :)**

**KiraraTwoTail: Not a stutter or a typo. I really meant "art". The Leader considers the world between the worlds an art because of how it ensnares wanderers. It's intricate and complicated. That's why it's an art.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own _InuYasha_ but I own Miya.**

* * *

'_Why should I hope they're in one piece?_' Inuyasha wondered.

He was about to voice this thought when Miya answered. "This world plays tricks on your mind. It can show you what it wishes, along with your worst nightmares."

'_She read my mind?_' "How does it?"

"Yes, I read your mind," Miya answered Inuyasha's thought again. She sounded amused. Then she replied to his question. "The mist twists itself to show visions. It plays on the senses as well so it actually seems real."

"So the mist could show my friends' worst nightmares to them?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yes." Miya sounded grim.

"Has it ever happened to you before?" Inuyasha inquired, curious to know.

Miya's eyes had a faraway and haunted look about them, as if she was remembering. "Many times. I barely escaped each one. I've learned how to block my mind from those attacks."

"And you can't block your mind from my thoughts?"

"It's…not the same," Miya said slowly. "When I block my mind from attacks from this world and from outside forces from probing into it, I'm blocking people from hacking _in_ to it. But the thoughts flying around me aren't exactly being aimed at me. So I don't really have a defense against it."

"That doesn't really make sense and you know it," Inuyasha said.

"I know," Miya said. "I don't have any better words for it. If you don't want me to read your mind, then don't think!"

Inuyasha growled low in his throat. "And how do you recommend I do that?"

"Keep your mind blank, Inuyasha," Miya said. "It's simple enough. Just don't think 'This is stupid' the whole entire time you do so."

To this Inuyasha had no retort. Instead, he satisfied himself by scouring the mist ahead of them. He could see nothing other than fog and wondered how the girl ahead of him knew her way so well. He expected Miya to reply to that but she didn't, making him wonder further why she didn't do so.

Then to his utter astonishment, she vanished. He stopped short, trying to see if perhaps the mist had just obscured his view of her but no—she was gone. Inuyasha was about to call out and see if she was anywhere but a new figure made her name die in his throat.

"K—Kagome?" he stammered, stepping forward hesitantly, unable to believe his eyes. He reached out tentatively. "Is—is that really you?"

"Inuyasha." Kagome's voice was smooth and low. "You're really here." A small smile played around at her lips.

Inuyasha had to find his voice and when he did he had to make sure that it was his usual obnoxious tone. "'Course I am. Couldn't just leave you kidnapped by the freak. How else are we to find the sacred jewel shards?"

"But you shouldn't be here," Kagome said, still smiling a small smile. "You shouldn't be here at all."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want you here," Kagome said, her smile slowly turning mocking. "Haven't you known? I've never wanted you. I would've thought that it'd be obvious: you, a hanyou, with me, a miko." She practically spat the last few words out.

Inuyasha gaped at the black-haired teen. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, hurt but trying not to show it. "I never wanted _you_ around me in the first place! I was only with you for convenience!"

Kagome laughed, and the sound grated upon Inuyasha's ears. "Oh, dear, dear Inuyasha. Aren't you muddled? It was the exact opposite! And did you really think that _I_ wanted to be around you? You with your filthy dog ears and your whiny voice; you with your constant agenda with Kikyo, that corpse! Why would I ever have wanted to be around you? Tell me: why?"

"Because you wouldn't have gotten home, that's why," Inuyasha managed to say. Her words had cut him to the core, even though he was doing his best not to show it. He couldn't believe that this was really Kagome, his friend. The one who had thought that Shippo, a youkai, was cute. The one who had first accepted him for who he was. It seemed impossible. But the proof was right before his very eyes.

"Silly Inuyasha." Kagome laughed again. "I would've found my way home sooner or later. I never needed your help. No, Inuyasha, I never—_Inuyasha!_" She had shouted the last word.

"What?" Inuyasha asked irritably, not wanting to show her that he was hurting so much. "I'm right here. Your filthy hanyou with the dog ears that has a hidden agenda for Kikyo."

"_Inuyasha!_" Her voice sounded weird… It didn't sound right coming from the twisted face in front of him. "Snap out of it!"

Inuyasha blinked, trying to clear his vision. Kagome's mouth was still moving but the words coming out of it weren't fitting the lip movements. Rather, it seemed that her whole body was blurring slightly. What was going on?

"_Snap out of it, Inuyasha!_" With a jolt, the apparition of Kagome was suddenly replaced by Miya, who was right up in his face and shaking his shoulders violently. "You back yet? Good."

"M—Miya?" Inuyasha blinked. "Where's Kagome? She was right here…"

"She never was, Inuyasha," Miya said slowly, staring right into his amber eyes. "It was the mist. Remember? The mist shows you your worst fears."

Inuyasha flashed back to what Miya had told him earlier. "But…you disappeared!"

"The mist's work, too," she answered, stepping back to give Inuyasha some room. "Are you feeling all right?" She scrutinized his face.

"I'm fine," Inuyasha said harshly, snapping his eyes away from her blue ones and staring over her head. "It was nothing."

Miya stared at him silently for a few moments before saying quietly, "I know what it feels like, Inuyasha. Don't worry; I won't pry." As Inuyasha looked at her both curiously and thankfully, she turned and continued speaking. "In any case, if the mist has started working on you, it's a pretty safe bet that your companions are also facing their worst nightmares. And we'd better hurry in that case."

"But wouldn't they just be standing right there, the way I was?" Inuyasha asked, trying to erase the memory of Kagome's twisted face.

"You weren't just standing there, Inuyasha," Miya said, looking at him sidelong. "You were slowly reaching for your Tessaiga all the while."

"What?" Inuyasha stared down at his sword hand.

"It can do that," Miya said, looking straight ahead. "It can push you so far that you unconsciously reach for an escape. And the only escape around…is death."

"So Sango? Miroku?" Inuyasha paled at the thought of what they could do with their weapons to themselves. "They'd…attack each other?"

"Not each other. Themselves." Miya suddenly stood stock-still and closed her eyes. Before Inuyasha could ask her what she was doing, her eyes snapped back open. "We have to go. Time's running out for all of them."

"What? What did you see?" Inuyasha demanded.

"I didn't _see_ anything; I heard it," Miya said. "Come _on_!" She then grabbed Inuyasha's sleeve and pulled him with her.

"I can't smell them!" Inuyasha objected, pulling himself free from her and keeping a brisk pace.

"It blocks their scents. You've been smelling nothing but the damp lately, am I right?"

"And something foul," Inuyasha admitted. "And you're among it, no offense."

Miya looked at him in a way that Inuyasha didn't recognize. "None taken. I…have that effect on people."

"On their noses?"

"No. Just…their instincts." Then she jumped forward. "_Miroku!_"

A howling noise assaulted Inuyasha's ears and his silvery-white hair whipped around. He was struggling to stay on his feet. '_Jump forward or fall forward? That's Miroku's __Kazaana!_'

"Snap out of it, Miroku!" Miya cried. Inuyasha saw her both restraining against the wind and stepping forwards to try and break the spell on Miroku. The monk didn't seem to see her as his eyes were staring at something on his hand: the Kazaana. But his eyes were also staring at something beyond it and Inuyasha assumed that it was the nightmare this world had trapped him in.

Inuyasha whipped out his Tessaiga and attempted to root it in the nonexistent ground. It did absolutely nothing besides nearly uproot him as his sword met thin air and dove down. He grunted, sheathed Tessaiga again, and tried to lean backwards from the suctioning power.

Meanwhile, Miya swore softly and dove for the monk, letting the Kazaana pull her forward. She grabbed onto the monk's purple robe just before she slipped into oblivion. Inuyasha next saw her twist one leg around the monk in a…uh…_inappropriate_ position. Her fingers pressed against the monk's temple and the hanyou saw her eyes close with concentration.

'_What's she doing?_' Inuyasha thought he saw the mist around the monk and the girl twist. '_Is she…manipulating the mist?_' Suddenly it was as if he could _see_ the monk. It was like before Miroku had been obscured by a cloud but now he could see him crystal clear.

Miroku gave a loud cry and dropped to his knees, Miya falling off his back as he did so. Both of them sat there: Miroku panting and Miya still having her eyes closed. Then the girl took a deep breath and let it out, opening her eyes.

"You okay, Miroku?" she asked.

"I…think," Miroku said slowly, still clutching his hand.

"You almost killed us!" Inuyasha said without any tact.

"I did?" Miroku seemed honestly confused. "I had no idea. I thought I was…I thought I was dead for sure." His voice was hushed. "My Kazaana had ripped and was sucking everything in. Including me."

"It was a nightmare," Miya said soothingly, placing a hand on Miroku's shoulder. Inuyasha noted that she was just a bit pale. "This world twists itself to show tourists their worst fears."

"Tourists?"

"Never mind." Miya looked slightly embarrassed. "I guess that's a tad too modern for your language."

"Are you recovered yet, monk?" Inuyasha bugged Miroku.

Miroku let out a gusty breath of air. "I think so. Where's Sango?"

Miya looked grim. "The mist separated all of you. Try to keep hold of my clothes, all right? We don't want any more incidents like the kind both you and Inuyasha suffered."

Instantly Miroku was curious. "What happened to Inuyasha?"

"Nothing," Inuyasha growled, shooting a warning glance at Miya. "Let's find Sango and the others before heading to Kagome."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "OK."

Miya got up and turned in a complete three-sixty before nodding to the two to grab onto her clothes. Then she set off to their left and made her way through the indiscernible world.

"It's going to be cutting it close," she murmured.

"Why?" Miroku asked.

"You nearly killed yourself," Inuyasha answered for Miya. "Sango has a far better chance at killing herself than you did since her weapons act quickly. Your Kazaana takes a while to suck in anything unless the objects running headlong into it."

"Because of the vision that I saw?"

"Because of the visions you all saw and still are seeing," Miya said. "Be quiet now and listen."

They shut up and listened as Miya had told them. They couldn't hear anything at first but then a low sound reached their ears. It was sobbing.

"Is she crying?" Miroku whispered, horrified. "What is it _showing_ her?"

"Her heart's worst fear," Miya said in a low voice. "It's almost too late." Without another word, she grabbed Miroku and Inuyasha's wrists and jumped forwards, bringing the youkai-slayer into view. Both men were absolutely horrified to see Sango lying on the ground on her side, about to stab herself with her katana, tears streaming down her face. Her eyes were closed.

Miya gave a loud cry. "_Don't!_" She let go of their wrists and jumped towards Sango, knocking the weapon out of her trembling hands and kicking the boomerang towards Inuyasha's feet. Then before Sango could do anything else, Miya knelt down and placed two fingers on Sango's temple.

Nothing happened.

Then it seemed as if they could see the youkai-slayer clearly and what had been seen before was through a cloud. Miya suddenly let out a sharp gasp and dropped her hand, sliding away from Sango. She looked unnaturally pale.

"Sango!" Miroku rushed forward to inspect a trembling Sango. "Are you all right? What did you see?"

"No. Kohaku," Sango whispered, agony clear in her voice. Then her eyes snapped open. "Kohaku!"

"It's all right, Sango," Miroku soothed.

"Are _you_ all right?" Inuyasha asked Miya, squatting down besides her with the Hiraikotsu over his shoulder. "You look kinda pale."

"I'll be fine," Miya said softly, color slowly coming into her cheeks. "That was a violent nightmare. What…happened to her little brother?"

Inuyasha was silent for a few moments. "They were called away on an errand to kill a youkai at a castle," he said finally. "I don't know the details of what happened but it seems that Kohaku was possessed by it and murdered the rest of the slayers and his own father before being killed himself. Sango was hit, too, by both her little brother and the archers of the castle.

"It turned out that Naraku had been behind the errand and led more youkais to their village, killing everyone in it. Sango survived the attack but Kohaku was dead. But then Naraku put a Shikon jewel shard in the kid's back and he came back to life. Now he has no memories of his life with Sango and exists only to serve Naraku. We had him once before and it seemed that Naraku's control had slipped. But it was only for a little while. We've got no idea where he is now."

"I see," was all Miya said. She got to her feet and spoke to Sango and Miroku. "We have to go. Shippo and Kirara are likely trapped, too. I shiver to think of what those two youkais could do to themselves."

"Shippo's got nothing special," Inuyasha said, standing up beside her with his right hand on his hip. "But Kirara's flames could be a problem if she lets them loose."

"Shippo's tricks could be used to kill if applied correctly," Miroku objected, one hand on Sango's shoulder.

"Where are they?" Sango was still looking pale but was recovering.

"Close," Miya responded after a second's contemplation.

"And why haven't you done anything perverted?" Sango asked Miroku.

"I thought it inappropriate since you just had a nightmare about Kohaku," Miroku answered, looking saintly. "But if you wish, I could—"

He was cut off by Inuyasha slamming Hiraikotsu on his head. The hanyou then gave the boomerang back to Sango. "Just in case."

"I'd have done that myself if I had it," Sango agreed, looking at a wounded Miroku who had a huge bump on his head.

"You wound me," Miroku said, looking appropriately injured and innocent. "I'd have done nothing."

"Right," Sango said disbelievingly, appearing completely recovered from her traumatic experience.

"We've got to go now," Miya cut in. "If you're all right, Sango—and you seem all right—we need to rescue Shippo and Kirara before turning our attention back to Kagome and the Leader. It's not going to be easy. Whatever weapons I had other than the bow and arrows I carry now I lost."

She turned to their right. "Grab onto my clothes and each other. We have to leave now. Kirara's about to go any moment now."

When everyone had secured handholds on each other Miya set off. They had barely gone ten feet when they literally stumbled across both Shippo and Kirara. The kitsune was whimpering and the feline was growling softly in her throat.

"Kirara! Shippo!" Sango was about to jump forward when Miya stopped her by throwing an arm in front of her chest. It turned out for the better when Kirara's fur started smoking.

"Stay back and don't move," Miya warned swiftly, stepping forward to place both hands on their heads. When her fingers touched Kirara's fur they withdrew quickly out of reflex. Miya set her teeth and rested them on the overheated fur, focusing on pushing the nightmares right out of their heads.

"What's she doing?" Sango whispered, trying not to disturb her.

"I think she's pushing the nightmares out of their heads," Inuyasha whispered back. "I saw her do it to Miroku and you."

Sango shot Inuyasha a glance. "And you?"

Inuyasha was silent, leaving Miroku to answer much to the hanyou's chagrin. "Miya said Inuyasha had it, too. But he's not saying what it was."

"And there's no need to," Inuyasha growled, watching the girl before them concentrate before falling back. "She's finished."

"Oww," Miya hissed under breath, shaking her left hand's fingers. They were red, courtesy of touching Kirara's smoking fur. "Thank goodness Shippo wasn't doing anything."

"No. He'd just starve himself to death," Inuyasha said, having caught Miya's words.

A loud scream made all of them jump. "AAAAAH! STOP IT!!" It was Shippo.

Kirara leapt to her feet, bristling when she saw Sango and Miroku. She growled ferociously and placed herself protectively in front of a writhing Shippo.

"Kirara?" Sango let go of her Hiraikotsu and put both of her hands out tentatively, trying to calm her friend down. "Relax. It's me."

"You were hunting her," Miya said from behind the two youkais. "She still thinks you're trying to kill both her and Shippo."

Sango and Miroku shared shocked glances and then returned their gaze to Kirara and Shippo.

"Hey, relax, Kirara," Miroku said comfortingly. "We're not going to hurt you. See?" He dropped his staff and bade Sango to do the same.

When the two had done so, Shippo stopped squirming and jumped up onto Kirara's back. He saw the two and cringed into the youkai's fur. "Eep!" His tail was all bushed up.

"It's all right, Shippo." Sango smiled. "Will you tell Kirara to please calm down? We're not going to hurt either of you."

"But you were going to kill us," Shippo squeaked.

"No they weren't," Miya said, stopping Sango and Miroku from talking any more. "It's this world's tricks. It showed you two your worst fears. They'd never kill you." She placed a hand on Kirara's head and the feline quieted down, her fur settling. "Everything's fine, Kirara," she added, making sure that Kirara wouldn't suddenly attack.

"Miya!" Shippo exclaimed. "You're all right!" He caught sight of Inuyasha, too. "How'd you guys find us?"

"We opened the gate," Inuyasha said. "We'd the lost the map since someone decided to keep it." He shot Sango a glare. "Then we met someone unpleasant and Naraku. They both escaped."

"No, we ran away," Miya corrected. "You couldn't fight them with me on your back."

Inuyasha scowled but didn't retort.

"We saw bat-birds," Shippo said, eager to retell their fearsome encounter.

"And we've got a message for you from one Mr. Kagai," Miroku added.

"Kagai?" Miya was wary. "He didn't tell you to boil my brains or anything, did he? They haven't quite forgiven me for running into their sacred world with the wraiths right on my heels. And that was several years ago."

"Actually, he just told us to tell you that the wraiths are still after you," Miroku said. He paused for a moment. "He didn't seem like the kind of guy to boil one's brains."

"I presume that's sarcasm," Sango said.

"And he didn't have to point out the obvious." Miya sighed and turned her back to the others. "If I ever go back there—and I probably won't—I'll be sure to thank him for his sincerity. In the meantime, we need to concentrate on finding Kagome."

"But where could she be?" Miroku wondered. "This place is infinitely huge and there are so many worlds."

"She can't be everywhere so she can only be in one spot," Miya said cryptically, twanging her bow string.

"And?" Inuyasha prompted.

"And that one spot is going to be where the Leader is," Miya continued. She smiled grimly. "I've never actually hunted down the Leader. But this time the tables are turned."

"We don't have tracking devices," Sango said.

"Don't need them," Miya said. She tapped her forehead. "I can hook in on his mind signature."

"Mind signature?" Sango, Miroku, and Shippo chorused, confused.

"Later," Inuyasha said impatiently. "We need to find Kagome. Any ideas on where to start, Miya?"

"Of course."

"Where?"

"How about right behind you?" Miya answered, fitting an arrow to her bow. "It's kind of hard to miss."

All of them whirled around and saw what Miya meant. They saw the Leader, Kagome…and Naraku.

"Naraku," Inuyasha growled, eyes flashing.

The Leader's eyes met Miya's and he grinned, sending chills down their spines. "Welcome," he hissed.

* * *

**A cliffhanger. I'm just wicked. XD And I wouldn't really kill Miroku. It's a "K+" story. Besides, I don't really believe in killing off characters unless they're bad guys. I have no idea when I can update next but I WILL update. REVIEW PLEASE!**


	11. Climatic Fight

**SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG! Been _really_ busy but I know that's not an excuse... Anyway, this chapter is pretty long to make up for the wait! I'm guessing I've only got about two-three chapters left, three tops. So, uh, enjoy!**

**Thanks to Half-Demon Cali for reviewing the last chapter! **

**Half-Demon Cali: So can I. XD**

**DISCLAIMER: I no own InuYasha. But I own Miya.**

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* * *

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_The Leader's eyes met Miya's and he grinned, sending chills down their spines. "Welcome," he hissed._

"Hey yourself," Miya said coolly. "I'm touched you organized such a welcome party for us. But from the lack of food and drink, I'm guessing it isn't really a party, right?"

"Jesting already?" The Leader's empty eyes flashed. "Your insolence will be your downfall."

"I think I've already fallen," Miya said airily. "Isn't this place bottomless? So technically, it means we're all falling."

The gang behind her exchanged looks. It seemed like Miya was used to exchanging witty banter with the gross-looking Leader. Inuyasha's was calmer, having heard her strange tale and knowing that she was used to facing off with it; his eyes were flaring, though, at the sight of the bound Kagome behind the two villains. He had caught sight of angry red welts all over her pale skin, right under the red lightning that kept whipping her body. His hand ached to unsheathe his Tessaiga and go after both the Leader and Naraku. But this was Miya's deal, so he let it be, impatiently waiting for the "pleasantries" to be over.

"Regardless," the Leader finally said, "I see you've swallowed the bait. You and your ridiculous friends."

"I'd be careful who you call ridiculous," Miya said quietly, her eyes darkening. "I pick my friends carefully."

"What does she mean?" Sango whispered, her brow furrowing. " 'I pick my friends carefully'? Is she talking about our abilities?"

"Is she plotting some nefarious plot?" Miroku wondered, his hand on his prayer beads.

"Is she untrustworthy?" Shippo asked.

"It's none of those," Inuyasha said quietly. He caught the others' curious stares and elaborated. "She's had a rough life and doesn't have too many people to trust. We should be honored, I guess."

"You know this how?" Sango inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Inuyasha shrugged, his eyes never leaving Naraku. "She explained about her upbringing 'cause I had some questions. Namely, about her strange abilities."

Before any of the others could ask him about the strange abilities that he was talking about, they were interrupted by the Leader jumping on Miya. Sango had her Hiraikotsu ready to be thrown in a split-second but found it unnecessary when all Miya did was throw up her hand and the Leader fell off thin air as if an invisible shield was in the air. It crouched on the invisible floor, hissing.

"Those strange abilities," Inuyasha added, spreading his feet apart and unsheathing his Tessaiga, which immediately transformed. "She's got mind abilities."

"Mind abilities?" Shippo squeaked, immediately thinking of mind controlling powers. '_She's going to control us all!_'

A snort rang through all their heads, surprising everyone except for Inuyasha. His only reaction was an ear twitch. He still wasn't used to having a strange voice echo in his head at odd moments. '_Ha. Why would I control you guys in the first place?_'

Inuyasha glanced at Shippo, suspecting that the kid had probably said something along those lines in his head. Unfortunately for the kitsune, his mind wasn't exactly private anymore…

'_If you guys could try to __**not**__ think at all it'd be really helpful_,' the voice continued. Miya notched an arrow to her bow. '_I'm used to not having weird thoughts in my head at inopportune moments_.'

'_You're one to talk,_' Inuyasha shot back, eyeing Naraku while he did so. '_What about you inserting thoughts into __**our**__ heads?_'

Her reply had an undercurrent of amusement. '_I try not to. It's more convenient this way in the midst of battle._' What she said next was for everyone's ears—minds. '_**You**__ guys on the other hand need to be as quiet as you can in your heads. I can't take too much chattering in my head after years of silence._'

Miroku raised an eyebrow, wondering _quietly_ in his head how many years of silence she did have under her belt. She was young—or seemed young. Her eyes told a different story.

_Twang_! The arrow flew from Miya's strings. The whole interchange had only taken ten seconds at most, and all she had done was keep the Leader at bay with a mental shield. Naraku hadn't moved, only his tentacles kept writhing; his eyes rested on the gang of five behind Miya and the Leader.

"Move," Inuyasha ordered. "We can't get in Miya's way. She needs to be free to take care of that…demon."

"Appropriate term," Miroku agreed. He dashed sideways, ducking an arrow of Miya's that had gone wide with a shield that the Leader erected. He was soon at Naraku's other side, his friends at his heels.

Inuyasha had his eyes on Kagome while following Miroku. She was right behind Naraku—or so it seemed. The moment he stopped running the distance between himself and her automatically changed. The mist distorted, twisted, and for a moment he couldn't see her clearly anymore. A second later the mist cleared up, revealing her quite a distance away and safely behind Naraku. There was no way he would be able to reach her without being attacked by either Naraku or the Leader before he got there.

"You're going down, Naraku!" Sango declared, hefting her Hiraikotsu up. "Your reign of terror is over!"

"Quite the contrary." Naraku smirked. "I'd say it's just beginning."

"And why is that?" Miroku asked, actually sounding interested.

"As soon as you all are swallowed by this place, excluding all your jewel shards, I can search for the rest of the Shikon jewel in peace. And when I complete it"—he raised his hand here—"the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Of course!" Inuyasha shot back, the energy of his Kaze no Kizu swirling around his blade. "That's because we won't let you!"

"How can you imagine the consequences if we take away the jewel shards?" Shippo added his two-cents, feeling moderately brave enough on Kirara's back and behind his significantly stronger friends.

All Naraku had to do was narrow his eyes slightly and stare at him for the kitsune to give out an "eep" and hide his face in Kirara's fur.

"It's all right, Shippo," Sango murmured. She narrowed her eyes. "He's going down. Now."

* * *

Miya was having problems with her opponent. Her quiver was almost empty with roughly ten arrows left and the Leader had a powerful mental shield up, deflecting each arrow she sent his way. Three of them had nearly hit her friends.

'_That's how he wants to play? By putting my friends in danger?_' Miya let her bow rest at her side. '_In that case, let's play fire for fire, shall we?_'

"Something wrong, girl?" the Leader hissed, crouching behind his invisible shield. If it weren't for the fact that Miya could sense the power pouring off of him and that her arrows had deflected, it would just seem that he was standing there.

"Name's Miya," Miya said evenly, "not 'girl'. Think your small brain can handle that amount of information? Or is it too crammed full of the mist?" '_But his only friend is that mist. How do I fight fire for fire if he doesn't have any friends?_'

"Think you're clever?" The Leader's empty eyes narrowed. "Maybe you're now but will you be so clever with your comebacks when your friends are in danger?"

Miya's eyes flew over to her friends, but they were fighting Naraku without any problems. '_I can't count Naraku as a friend._' Then she glimpsed Kagome coming into view behind the Leader and put up her bow defensively, her eyes widening as she began to decipher her foe's plan.

"Your _small_ mind working out the details?" The Leader chuckled darkly. "Don't bother. My plans can't be figured out by the likes of _you_."

"And why is that? Because I'm a _girl_? Get your mind out of the gutter!" Miya's brain was working frantically to find a way to get to the teenager behind the Leader before something nasty happened.

"There is no gutter…_Miya_." His voice twisted her name and she briefly regretted correcting him and then insulting him on where his mind was. Perhaps that hadn't been the smartest move…

"Figure of speech," she replied flippantly, still thinking quickly.

'_One thing to do,_' she thought grimly. Her eyes sought out a certain silver-haired hanyou. '_I just hope he doesn't kill me later for putting Kagome's life in danger._'

Before the Leader could do anything else—insult Miya or threaten Kagome's well-being—she had sprinted forwards, a look of intense concentration on her face. She sought out his shield and right before making contact with it, twisted to the left a little and hit it side-on, breaking it into a million invisible pieces with her own mind. Not even taking a break to give the Leader any time to react to the full-on frontal assault, she dashed around the Leader, using telekinesis to boost herself and give her "wings".

'_Almost there!_' Miya was about halfway to retrieving Kagome when something scalding grabbed her by the waist. "_Ingh!_" She let out an exclamation of pain shortly before she was wrenched back by a red rope of lightning that wrapped around her waist. It released her midair, dropping her to the "floor" and having her slide back to the Leader's feet. She found herself staring right into his bottomless eyes.

"Thought you could outsmart me?" the Leader hissed menacingly.

'_Crud. Not good at all._' Miya wasn't even able to protest as he hauled her up by the front of her clothes and held her right in front of his nonexistent nose. She glared defiantly back at him, not letting her fear show on her face.

"Let me show you what happens to little know-it-alls that try to outsmart me," the Leader promised, his hand suddenly flaring into red lightning, singing Miya's clothes.

'_**Definitely**__ not good._'

* * *

"Kaze no kizu!" Inuyasha swung Tessaiga right after Sango's proclamation, releasing his attack at Naraku. It hit the evil hanyou head-on and decimated three-quarters of his body, shredding it and throwing it all over the place.

"He's playing with us!" Miroku said as soon as the kaze no kizu dissipated.

Inuyasha bared his teeth. "I know."

Before their very eyes, Naraku reformed, smirking just as knowledgably as he had before. His green tentacles writhed behind his back. He kept his mouth shut, though, merely raising an eyebrow, signaling that it was still their move.

"Use your Kazaana," Inuyasha demanded of Miroku.

"I would, Inuyasha," Miroku said, his mouth twisting into a grimace, "but he has the Shikon jewel. If I suck that in, too, you'd never let me hear the end of it."

"Are you a monk or not a monk?"

"He's a monk that slays youkais through sutras and I slay youkais with my Hiraikotsu!" Sango jumped in, stepping before Inuyasha. "His sutras might not work as well as this does"—she hefted up her boomerang—"but I can take care of half of Naraku's body. Inuyasha, use your kaze no kizu after I throw this."

"Got it," Inuyasha affirmed, the swirling energies already gathering around his blade.

"Hyah!" Sango threw her Hiraikotsu straight at Naraku, who didn't do anything besides suddenly create a huge cloud of purple miasma. When Inuyasha released his kaze no kizu in the next second it tore through the cloud of dangerous miasma and it dissipated, revealing nothing but an empty space of white.

Inuyasha swore loudly and whipped his head around, trying to catch sight of his enemy. Sango's Hiraikotsu came hurtling back and she caught it neatly with one hand, also looking around for her enemy.

"He vanished!" Shippo stated the obvious.

"Come out, you coward!" Inuyasha challenged, snarling. "Why do you always insist on hiding?"

A sinister chuckle seemed to come out from nowhere. "Me? Hide? What about you, Inuyasha? Are you so bold to come out into the open during the one time you're vulnerable?"

"Maybe not but you're the one that's hiding _all_ the time!" Inuyasha snapped, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Or don't tell me. You have a period of weakness every other hour?"

"Careful, Inuyasha," Miroku cautioned, one hand still on his Kazaana, regardless of the fact whether he could use it or not. "We don't know where he is."

All Inuyasha did was growl impatiently. Miroku, on the other hand, assumed a slight look of concentration, moving his staff from side to side. He had one hand in a praying position and was murmuring words under his breath that even Inuyasha's ears couldn't catch. Then, the rings on the tip of his staff shifted ever so slightly, pulling towards the group's left.

"There!" Miroku shouted, spinning around and pointing his staff to a vague point at their left.

"Don't see anything but it's worth a shot." Inuyasha brought his sword up and swept it down. "Kaze no kizu!" His attack sped off into empty land, not hitting anything. "Great. Your monkly powers of deduction have let us down."

"No. He's up there." Miroku pointed upwards; everyone's eyes followed his finger to see Naraku floating in a protective shield, smiling sinisterly. "That's why it didn't work."

"That won't work either," Inuyasha said determinedly. "I'm not letting him go this time! He's still got Kagome!" His sword flashed brightly before assuming a hard, shiny surface made out of diamond.

'_That'll work perfectly!_' Shippo thought, his eyes wide with anticipation. '_And it'll also destroy Naraku's body! I just hope that they finish him off before he regenerates again!_'

"Kongōsōha!" Inuyasha roared, sweeping Tessaiga in one long arc. Hundreds of diamond shards erupted from the sword, hitting Naraku's shield all at once.

The evil hanyou appeared impassive as shards of diamond decimated his shield, piercing first his protection and then his body. They tore apart his torso, splitting him into halves before tearing apart the rest of what was intact.

"Did it work?" Sango asked, waiting anxiously.

"He didn't give a reaction," Shippo said.

"He never does," Inuyasha said. "Only sign that he's surprised is a widening of the eyes." He twisted his mouth. "And there's no sign of that."

"Throw your Hiraikotsu at him, Sango!" Miroku encouraged, watching various parts of Naraku reassemble. "Quick, before he puts himself back together!"

Sango grunted as she threw her Hiraikotsu right at the hanyou. But to their dismay, a shield immediately came up, knocking aside the boomerang and protecting the growing portion of Naraku's body.

"Damn!" Inuyasha swore, holding his sword tightly. "_Kongōsōha_!"

* * *

The red lightning at the Leader's fingertips was singeing Miya's clothes, burning a hole straight through them and to her skin. The heat it was giving off made sweat appear on her brow and gave her blue eyes a feverish light.

"Scared yet?" the Leader sneered, grinning horribly.

Although the answer was "yes", Miya didn't say anything besides clench her bow tighter. The action made her realize that she wasn't entirely weaponless and snapped her back to her senses.

Her mouth curved up into a smirk and she shot back snidely, "Of you? Yeah, right. You _really _don't know when to quit with your vengeance quest, do you?"

"And you apparently don't know when to keep your mouth shut," the Leader snapped, his lips curling back in an ugly snarl.

"Please don't grin," Miya said nonchalantly, flipping her bow around so that it was held like a club. "It doesn't suit you."

Suddenly, she grabbed the Leader's wrist, brought her legs forward to the right side of the Leader and kicked him in the head. The blow sent the Leader to the side, giving Miya enough leverage to follow with a blow to the head with her bow. A crack formed in the wood as soon as it made contact with the Leader's skull. The bow broke into two pieces a moment later.

'_And I was really getting to like that bow._' Miya didn't give the bow a second's thought after that, merely frowning before throwing the bow aside and taking the quiver off her back. She spread her legs apart and beckoned the recovering Leader forward, raising an eyebrow in a clear challenge.

"You will regret that, _Miya_," the Leader growled, snarling ferociously on Miya's name. He dashed forward and started to engage Miya in hand-to-hand combat.

Miya easily blocked the first two attacks by catching his fists and knocking them aside. The Leader brought his leg up for a kick to her side but Miya, reading his intention in his mind, raised hers and stopped it mid-strike. Twisting her weight and using this move to her advantage, Miya turned her back to the Leader and brought her elbow up, hitting him in the neck before he could react. Then, while he was still off-balance, she jumped up and brought the other leg around to kick him in the side and send him skidding several feet to one side.

Miya landed and instantly continued her assault before he could do anything too fancy. Biting her lip in intense concentration, she moved her hands in one sweeping motion in opposite directions, brought them down shortly, and then brought them up quickly to her shoulder level. What happened around the Leader was instantaneous: the mist molded itself around the Leader as Miya's hands moved.

"You will pay!" the Leader howled, writhing as the mist bound itself to his figure. "I shall return!"

"Who says you're going anywhere?" Miya panted, her hands now down at waist level, palms facing forward. She brought them up in a circle and the Leader floated up, the mist supporting his weight. "Then again, I guess you _are_ going somewhere; you're just not going where you think you're going."

"Explain!" the Leader demanded.

"Say 'please'?" Miya teased, panting heavily but grinning.

She didn't wait for a reply. One palm was facing upwards as she brought it back like a boat sailing backwards. Then she made a chopping motion with it, sliding it through the air like she was cutting something. The Leader instantaneously flew through the air, crashing into an object in the air that sent curses flying everywhere.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to swear?" Miya muttered, gasping for air and wiping her forehead clean. '_I really hope I don't have to do that again._'

* * *

"Stop swinging Tessaiga around for a moment, Inuyasha!" Sango shouted, her Hiraikotsu hitched over her shoulder and ready to be used.

"Why?" Inuyasha demanded, dropping his glistening sword to the ground. He stared at Sango.

"You've got other attacks in Tessaiga, don't you?"

"Yeah…"

"Can you use a different one?" Sango requested. "You have to admit, Kongōsōha isn't having much of an effect on him."

Inuyasha scowled, his mouth twisting into a grimace as he considered his options. "I don't think cutting into his energy will make a difference," he admitted. "That's really the only option I've got at the moment."

"Give me Hiraikotsu for a moment, Sango." Before Sango could respond, Miroku had snatched it from her grasp; it thudded heavily to the ground as the monk slapped on several pieces of paper on it. "There." He handed it back to Sango before addressing Inuyasha. "Use Kongōsōha again but this time Sango will follow up by throwing this, which is fortified by my monkly powers."

"Guys?" Shippo squeaked. "I'd do it now before he decides to do something nasty."

Inuyasha nodded once and fixed his gaze on the smirking hanyou that was floating above them.

"Forming a battle plan?" Naraku asked. "Don't bother. It's unnecessary and wastes time. Just admit it: you can't defeat me."

"Don't count on it!" Inuyasha bared his teeth and swung Tessaiga around. "_Kongōsōha_!"

The diamond shards pierced Naraku's shield; the hanyou merely kept smirking as his body was torn apart. But when Sango followed it up with her Hiraikotsu his eyes widened significantly in surprise; the boomerang pierced the shield he hastily threw up because of the sacred papers plastered on it. Miroku's spells and Sango's Hiraikotsu tore up what remained of his body in one fell swoop.

"Way to go, guys!" Shippo cheered.

"Too early to celebrate yet, Shippo," Miroku said, watching Naraku. "He'll just reform."

"Don't you have spells against that kind of junk?" Inuyasha demanded.

"It'd have to be plastered on him to work but then he'd just reject it."

"Then—" Inuyasha was cut off abruptly when their dilemma was solved with an unusual solution.

Something black crashed into Naraku's reforming body and was immediately encased in Naraku's purple shield. Loud cusses were heard from within as the figures solidified to show both the Leader and Naraku. The shadowy demon was inhibiting Naraku from forming fully for some odd reason.

"Let me out of this stupid shield!" the Leader snapped.

Naraku gritted his teeth and reformed one of his arms. The rest of his body remained in suspension around the demon. "Perhaps you should let go of whatever sorcery you're using so that I may reform."

"They're fighting!" Sango looked joyful, her boomerang back in her hands.

"Did you do that, Miya?" Miroku asked the girl.

She was panting heavily but beaming. "Yeah. Took a lot of energy out of me to do it but it was totally worth it. Quick, we need to get Kagome and get out of this place."

"But what about Naraku?" Inuyasha demanded, half-torn between wanting to flee and finally finishing his quest.

Miya took a deep breath. "You'll get him later. Trust me. Just…we better get out of here now. Kagome's not looking so good."

The group all shot glances at where the teen was bound and saw that Kagome was too pale for her own good.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, about to leap to her aid when Miya stopped him.

"Just one moment," she said. "Give me your Tessaiga real quick."

"Why?"

"You'll see in a moment. Just give it before Ku-chan lets down that shield and lets the Leader out!"

"_Ku-chan_?!" Sango and Miroku said disbelievingly.

"It won't work for you," Inuyasha warned; but Miya either didn't listen or didn't care because she snatched it out of his hands. "Hey!"

Instead of immediately reverting into its beaten up form in her hands, Tessaiga remained in all its glorious beauty. But then it suddenly reverted back to its bland form before gaining green scales on the top side of it.

Inuyasha gaped at Miya. "Wha—_how_?!"

Miya gave a brief grin, her face still set in mask of concentration. "Cool."

Before any of her friends could say otherwise or object, she had jumped up and swung at Naraku's barrier.

"If she'd asked us we could've told her that doesn't work!" Inuyasha grumbled, still hung over at how she had managed to transform Tessaiga.

But much to their astonishment, Tessaiga's blade pierced Naraku's shield, melting through it like it was butter. The blade sliced through the Leader and his inky black body immediately started to swirl around the dragon scales. The Leader started to scream in agony as his very form became absorbed into Tessaiga's blade.

"It's going to self-destruct!" Inuyasha cried in dismay. "Is she in_sane_?!"

"She's going to burn herself!" Miroku gripped his staff harder as the tension became too much.

"But…look!" Sango pointed at what was happening. "The blade's turning red but she's still absorbing the Leader!"

A minute later and what was left of the Leader vanished into Tessaiga. Miya retracted the blade and it immediately transformed back into its dull, beaten up form. She pushed off of the shield and landed behind the group, breathing heavily; she handed Tessaiga off to Inuyasha before nodding towards Kagome. Inuyasha flinched briefly upon handling the hot hilt and sheathed it quickly.

"Get her and head back here," she ordered. "I've got enough energy for two more things."

He bounded off towards his friend and secret crush, returning in two minutes, and wincing at the red welts all over Kagome's body. The red lightning had vanished as soon as the Leader was gone.

"Can you wake her up?" he asked anxiously.

"After," Miya answered, taking a deep steadying breath and closing her eyes. She began mouthing words so quickly that they blended into one long stream of murmurs for Inuyasha's ears. When Sango and Miroku shot him questioning glances he merely shrugged, shooting nervous glances at the unconscious teen in his arms.

Miya's arms drifted up and she mimed opening a sliding door. Her breath came in labored gasps as she strained to move her hands in opposite directions. Her friends watched in amazement as the mist before them separated, too, revealing trees. Inuyasha tore his gaze away from the sight before him and looked up at Naraku, hoping that he wasn't completely reformed and watching to escape. But much to his shock, Naraku's shield was completely obscured by mist, hiding him from prying eyes.

'_What's going on?_'

"_Inuyasha_!" Miya hissed warningly right after this thought entered his head.

Inuyasha flinched when he realized what he'd done. "Sorry," he apologized quietly, much to his friends' confusion.

'_Huh?_' Shippo cocked his head, looking adorably confused.

When the mist wouldn't open any wider, Miya dropped her hands to her knees and bent over, gulping in large bucketfuls of air. She looked back. "Get out before it closes," she managed to say.

Inuyasha nodded and jumped through, his friends following. They landed on green grass, watching as the misty world behind them vanished right after Miya fell through.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha requested immediately, even though Miya was looking so pale she could have been a ghost.

"Inuyasha!" Sango reprimanded him. "She's exhausted! Leave her—"

"No," Miya broke in. "She needs to be woken up before her mind breaks."

"Her…mind?" Shippo squeaked, his eyes as wide as saucers.

Miya merely shook her head, too exhausted to speak. She ran her hands over Kagome's head, her eyes closed in intense concentration. Then she placed two fingers in the center of Kagome's forehead and exhaled sharply. Nothing seemed to happen except that Miya was trembling heavily.

"Miya?" Sango laid a hand on Miya's shoulder.

"She'll…be…all right," was all Miya said before passing out and collapsing next to Kagome.

Several minutes went by in heavy, oppressing silence as they all waited anxiously for Kagome to return to the living. Shippo was at Kagome's head, his tail twitching nervously; Miroku had a hand on Miya and Kagome, trying to lend them some healing power; Sango was kneeling over the two of them, biting her lip; and Inuyasha was bending over Kagome.

Finally, Kagome's gray eyes opened. She blinked, not saying anything for several long moments.

Inuyasha couldn't help one thought from flitting across his mind. '_Is she sane?_'

* * *

**I know! I'm evil for leaving this at another cliffy! But any longer and it would take _forever_ for this chapter to come out! Anyway, like I said before, this story is almost finished. I can't believe it's been roughly a year since I started this story. I've learned a lot on this site about writing. (sighs) I'll continue the sob story later. Anyway, hope you guys liked this installment! I tried my best with the fight scene.**

**REVIEW PLEASE! And no flames because I'll just use them to light the fires of my muse(s).  
**


	12. Kagome's Nightmare

**I would have posted this sooner but the login area was inaccessible to me. Grr... Anyway, there's one more chapter to go after this one: the epilogue. I was going to go straight to the epilogue before remembering that I wanted to write what Kagome's nightmare was. So, here it is!  
**

**Thanks to Half-Demon Cali for reviewing the last chapter!**

**Half-Demon Cali: You think? XD I love cliffies! When I'm the author, that is... (evil laugh)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha!

* * *

**

Where was she? She couldn't see anything beyond the blackness that was surrounding her. Where were Inuyasha and her other friends?

Kagome lifted a hand to try and brush away the black like it was a curtain. She couldn't even see her fingers, which were probably only an inch in front of her nose.

"Inuyasha?" she called out softly. "Inuyasha? Where are you?" When no answer came after a minute she tried again."Inuyasha! Sango! Miroku!"

Panic began to shroud her mind. '_Where are they all? Weren't we just having fun? When did __**this**__ happen?_' Kagome turned frantically in circles, trying to catch a glimpse of her friends. It was futile as she couldn't even see her own feet. '_I'm all alone!_'

Despite the fact that she couldn't see anything and that her instincts were screaming for her to stay put, Kagome started to run as fast as she could. She stumbled over her feet for the first ten feet before finding a good rhythm and pounding the unseen floor. Her breaths came in uneven gasps as she realized that the darkness wasn't giving way at all and that she still couldn't hear her friends anywhere.

"_Inuyasha_!" she cried. "Can you hear me? _Inuyasha_!"

What she wouldn't give for Kirara's flames at the moment! Her heart pounded unevenly and her breath came in harsh gasps as she pushed herself further through the blackness.

She used the last of her air to give out one last scream. "_Inuyasha_!"

What happened next brought a figurative shred of light into the panic shrouding her thought processes. She began to see something white right in front of her. Was it Inuyasha's hair? A hopeful smile spread across her face as she threw herself forward to try and grab her friend.

She had no breath left to call his name and plead him to stop. '_Inuyasha! Please, stop!_'

Her hand seemed to slip through his hair and she fell to the floor, panting heavily; her heart sank with disappointment.

Then, just as she thought that she would have to get up and run again to chase after her elusive friend, she saw his feet step before her. Hope returned in a flash and she looked up to see Inuyasha's golden eyes.

"Inuyasha!" she managed to say, smiling. "You heard me!"

Inuyasha stared down at her impassively. His arms were tucked into his sleeves.

Kagome got to her knees, her breath coming back to her. "Inuyasha?" she asked uncertainly, not liking the look on her friend's face.

Inuyasha finally spoke. "You're weak."

Kagome gaped at him. "Excuse me?"

"You're the one holding us back with your stupid _human _needs," Inuyasha continued, glowering. "If it weren't for you, the Shikon jewel would still be intact and Naraku wouldn't even be this strong."

Guilt flooded Kagome. It was true: it _was_ her fault. But then, hadn't they gotten past that rock in their relationship? Before Kagome could voice this thought, Inuyasha had continued.

"You're no use to us." Inuyasha bared his teeth as he spoke. "You're a useless piece of baggage. You don't belong with us. Go back to your stupid world."

Kagome sank back, looking at Inuyasha disbelievingly. She couldn't the words coming out of her friend's mouth. Even at its worst, their relationship had never come down to such horrible insults. At most it had just been name calling and stupid pranks but it had never been this hurtful.

"Inuyasha," she whispered, unable to think of anything else to say. "I thought we were friends…"

"Friends? Hah! I don't need friends. Besides, no one would want to be friends with someone like you. The reincarnation of a priestess? You don't even boast Kikyo's powers!"

Kagome was speechless; she couldn't think of anything to say. Inuyasha was hitting all her weak points. What were his weak points? Kikyo? His dead mother? His distant brother Sesshomaru? How did he know _her_ weak points and she didn't even know his?

"You're worthless," Inuyasha stated once again, sneering at her. With that said, he turned his back and walked away.

His departing figure snapped Kagome back to her senses. "Wait!" she called, getting to her feet. Her mind scrambled for an excuse for Inuyasha to take her. "You can't find the jewel shards without me!" A feeble excuse but one that was true nonetheless.

The answer was brief. "Who needs you?"

Kagome was left standing in the black. She looked at her hands and realized that she couldn't see them. '_How could I see Inuyasha?_'

She tried her best not to think about what Inuyasha had told her but it was extremely hard because there were no distractions other than the suffocating darkness. '_Breathe, Kagome. In, out, in, out, in…out…in…in—out…_" It wasn't working because her breaths were coming faster and faster.

Then another figure appeared in the darkness. A second was silhouetted behind the first. Kagome tried not to get her hopes up but it was hard not to seeing as how she was alone in the nothingness. As the figures started getting clearer, Kagome could make out something strapped to the back of one of them; the other had something long and straight.

"Miroku?" Kagome whispered. "Sango?"

It should have been impossible for them to pick up on Kagome's quiet whispers but they did. They were suddenly crystal clear and Kagome could see her two friends. They weren't smiling. Her heart sank at the possibilities.

"Did you…find me?" she asked, hoping that this was true. "Are Shippo and Kirara all right?"

Just as she said their names, the two youkais appeared next to the youkai-slayer and the monk. Shippo was sitting on Kirara's back but wasn't smiling either. Kirara was her usual impassive self.

"Shippo?" Kagome called, her heart lifting slightly—but only slightly.

"You don't belong in our world," Sango said, her brow furrowed. "You have to go back to where you come from."

"But—"

"You'll never make a worthy priestess," Miroku cut Kagome off. "What makes you think that you're the reincarnation of one?"

With an effort, Kagome turned from her them and focused her attention on Shippo. "Shippo?"

"What makes you think that you could ever replace my mother?" Shippo said coldly.

Kagome objected, "I never tried—"

"You're selfish and only care about yourself," Sango continued. "We would have collected the jewel shards long ago if you didn't have to go back constantly."

"I have a life back there, too!" Kagome said, deeply stung. "My duty doesn't just lie here!"

"With every day that passes, my curse grows stronger and my life slips away," Miroku said, ignoring what Kagome had said. "Does your life over there justify that?"

"You're a monk, too, you know!" Kagome broke out, close to tears. "Just because I'm the only one that can naturally sense the jewel shards doesn't mean you can't try either! You've got better control of your spiritual powers!"

"You're the one that always holds us back," Shippo accused. "Your weak human needs never help us."

It was almost exactly what Inuyasha had told her. Kagome took a step back, unable to believe that all her friends were turning their backs on her.

"Don't leave me," she choked out. "Don't leave me here alone."

"Go back to where you belong," Sango ordered, turning around and walking off. The others followed.

"I don't know how!" Kagome cried out, looking around at the dark. "I can't…" Her friends were almost out of sight. "I can't find the well! I can't find the way home!"

They didn't hear her and merely disappeared into the black, leaving Kagome alone. But a minute later, what seemed like a portal opened up, mistily showing her a view of a bright world that she recognized as feudal Japan. Her friends were out there!

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, trying to catch his attention. "_Inuyasha_! I'm here! Over here!"

But he didn't hear her. He was walking alongside Sango and Miroku, who were laughing and chattering away. Shippo was on his shoulder, seemingly annoying him. Kirara was on Sango's shoulder and even her sharp ears didn't catch Kagome's desperate cries.

"Sango! Miroku! Shippo! Please! I'm here!" Tears were streaming down her face now. "Listen to me! Don't…" She choked on her tears before crying out, "_Don't leave me here!_"

Just as her heart felt like it was literally breaking in two at the sight of her friends having fun without her, a voice called out. "_Kagome…_"

Kagome didn't respond; she was huddled up in a ball on the unseen floor, sobbing.

"_Wake up, Kagome. Wake up._" The voice was nagging her. Why wouldn't it leave her alone?

"No, no," she sobbed. "Leave me…please."

"_Kagome, you have to wake up_," the voice said firmly. "_Wake up. It's not real._"

It was as if a vortex had opened up in front of Kagome, sucking away the blackness and the vision of her friends.

The last thing she heard was a "_It's not real._" Then she was somewhere else. It was still dark but it was a lighter dark, as if she was in it by choice and not by force. Her body was stinging all over and Kagome could feel other people huddled around her.

She didn't want to open her eyes. What was the use if her friends didn't want her anymore? She couldn't go home because she was nowhere near the Bone Eater's Well and she didn't know the way back. If she was lucky a youkai would take pity on her and eat her up.

But what the voice had said was still echoing in her mind. _"It's not real."_

'_It wasn't real? But it felt so real!_' Kagome had trouble accepting this. '_How can that be?_'

It was with a great deal of effort that Kagome finally opened her eyes. She was instantly greeted by Inuyasha's worried face. Sango's, Miroku's, and Shippo's faces hovered around the edges, but her attention was captured by Inuyasha. She blinked, hoping that it wasn't a vision and that he really was there.

'_Was it really not real?_' She realized that there was a face missing. '_Where's Miya?_'

As her mind began to catch up on her surroundings, she realized that they all seemed to be anxiously waiting for something. Her question was answered in another second.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked tentatively. "Are you all right?"

"Is this a dream?" was all Kagome could think of saying. "I was…I was trapped in the darkness."

Inuyasha exhaled heavily, his breath blowing away stray hairs from Kagome's face. His eyes were relieved. "It isn't a dream, Kagome."

"What's the last thing you remember, Kagome?" Sango queried, crouching over Kagome on her left side. Miroku was by Kagome's legs.

Kagome didn't understand. "Should I remember anything important?"

The group exchanged panicked glances. Inuyasha looked back at Kagome, assuming an impassive face. It reminded Kagome of the Inuyasha she had talked to just five minutes ago. Or was it five minutes? It seemed so much longer.

"Are you sure?" Inuyasha prodded.

Images suddenly started assaulting Kagome's mind. Her eyes widened as she struggled to process all the memories that were demanding to be acknowledged. Being caught in the well and attacked by the shadowy figure; being bound by red lightning that stung her skin—no wonder she was burning; and then being trapped in the horrible blackness.

"Oh!" Kagome gasped, sitting up suddenly. "_Oh!_" Then her world whirled and she slumped back into Inuyasha's arms.

"Don't sit up too quickly," Sango cautioned. "You've just had a really harrowing experience."

"Are you really all right, Kagome?" Shippo asked, hopping onto Kagome's knee. "You're not downplaying it, are you?"

Kagome smiled weakly. "I'm fine, Shippo. Honestly, it's just a head rush."

"You scared us," Shippo admitted. "Miya was really—" He cut off sharply when Inuyasha shot him a deadly glare.

"Miya?" Kagome looked around for the girl. "Where is she?"

"She's here," Miroku said, looking at something behind Sango.

Kagome rolled to the side and saw Miya lying there, unconscious. "Miya! Is she all right?"

"She'll be fine," Miroku assured her. "She's just exhausted herself."

"What happened while I was…kidnapped?"

"I think Miya can explain that best," Inuyasha answered before anyone else could. "She's the one that's really familiar with what we just left."

Kagome frowned. "But—"

"I don't think it'll be too long before she wakes up," Inuyasha interrupted her. "We should probably head back to Kaede's or set up camp so that we're prepared."

"That reminds me," Shippo said. "Where are we?"

For the first time since they escaped the world between the worlds, everyone observed their surroundings. They were obviously in the forest but the question was where. It was dark, signaling that it was nighttime.

"I'll go up on Kirara just to take a look at the land," Sango said, getting up. Kirara transformed right after she said this and they took off.

Kagome took another look at Miya, who was unusually pale. "It was really bad, wasn't it?" she said quietly, sneaking a glance at Inuyasha, who was somber. "How did she exhaust herself?"

Inuyasha seemed to ponder that for a moment. "You'll have to ask her that," he said finally. "It's her story, not mine."

Kagome raised an eyebrow and studied Miya. Was it really that big a secret? Judging from Miroku's and Shippo's blank expressions they were just as much in the dark like she was.

'_The dark._' Chills ran up and down her spine as she remembered the horrible blackness that had swallowed her up. All of a sudden, the forest seemed to be bearing down on her, threatening to engulf her. She huddled up to Inuyasha, trembling.

Inuyasha looked at her, surprised. "Kagome?"

She didn't answer; her shivering frame told him everything. He wrapped an arm around her comfortingly and began to rub her arms to keep her warm. He didn't know what her nightmare had been but judging from her state now and what she had said after waking up he knew it was something to do with the dark.

Three minutes later Sango alighted and got off Kirara's back.

"Well?" Inuyasha demanded. "Where are we?"

"Nowhere near Kaede's village that's for sure," Sango reported. "We better set up camp here and wait for Miya to recover before going anywhere."

"Set up camp with what?" Shippo asked.

The group looked around for a moment before realizing that Shippo was right. They had nothing to set camp with.

"You lost our stuff?" Kagome accused Inuyasha indignantly. "What about my backpack?"

"It's back at Kaede's," Inuyasha replied hastily. He shot the others a look. "Right?"

"I think we left our stuff there before leaving in search of you," Miroku said. He put up his hands in apology. "It never crossed our minds that we wouldn't be able to get back immediately."

"So we have to sleep on the ground?" Kagome distastefully glared at the grass. "I really hope it isn't wet."

"It's dry," Inuyasha said, looking at his feet. "My feet aren't wet."

"Would you notice it if they were?"

"…No."

"That's not much help then."

* * *

They were all huddled up in the dark without a campfire still waiting for Miya to regain consciousness. Kagome was curled up next to Inuyasha while Shippo was snuggled into Kagome's side; Sango and Miroku had Kirara's fur to keep them warm.

It had been hours since they dropped into their world. Miroku had been making various trips to Miya's side to give her some healing power so that she would recover more quickly. So far it hadn't been making a difference but then you never knew…

"What time is it?" Kagome asked, growing stiff from just sitting in one position. She didn't want to get up, though, because the dark was giving her nightmares about the blackness she had been trapped in earlier.

Inuyasha squinted up through the leaves at the sky. "I can't see the moon so I can't tell you."

"It's late," Miroku said simply. "I'm guessing it's close to dawn."

"Doesn't that mean it's early?" Sango raised an eyebrow.

"If you want to get technical," Miroku said.

"It's not being technical," Sango argued. "It's being sensible. Either it's late or it's early. Right now it's the latter."

Miroku was about to reply heatedly when a groan cut into the air. "Would you guys be quiet, please? I've got a _really_ bad headache." Miya was awake and on her side, holding a finger to her temple while her eyes were closed in pain.

"Miya!" Shippo said delightedly. "You're up!"

Miya shot him an aggravated glare. "Keep it down, will you?" She pursed her lips and rubbed her temples. "Damn side effects," she grumbled, moving into a sitting position.

"You're all right, though, aren't you?" Miroku inquired, keeping his voice low. "You were pretty wiped out."

Miya gave a wry smile. "I'll be fine. Give it a few hours and I'll be as good as new. Well, maybe not _quite_ as new," she mended. She looked Kagome up and down, seeming satisfied with what she found there. "All right, Kagome?"

"Yeah." Kagome nodded. "But I think I should be asking you that question and not the other way around."

"Nah." Miya shook her head. "You were in more danger than I was."

Kagome appeared completely lost. "Anyone mind telling me what she's talking about?"

Inuyasha and the others looked away innocently when Miya shot them all glances.

"Oh for goodness's sake!" Miya said exasperatedly. "You mean no one told her?"

"Told me what?"

"We thought it'd be better if you did the explaining," Inuyasha said. "It's your story after all."

"Considerate of you," Miya said sarcastically. "You know the story just as well."

"You know the details," Inuyasha hinted.

Miya readjusted her position so that she was sitting more comfortably, her legs crossed. "What would you like to know?" she mocked.

"You're grumpy, aren't you?" Sango observed.

"No, I'm just peachy! I've got a roaring headache so of course I'm—as you put it—grumpy!" Miya took a deep breath and let it out. "Sorry. That was uncalled for. Anyway"—she placed her fingers on her temples again, rubbing—"what would you like to know?" she repeated her earlier question.

"What happened to the Leader?" Miroku asked immediately. "We saw that he was absorbed into Tessaiga but is he gone forever?"

"That Leader is," Miya answered.

"_That_ Leader?" everyone chorused.

"There'll be a new one coming up soon," Miya explained, shrugging. "This one shouldn't hunt me, though, so there shouldn't be a problem."

"But why was he hunting you in the first place?" Shipp queried, looking adorably confused.

Miya stayed silent, staring at each of her friends in turn. Her eyes met Inuyasha's and he gave a curt nod, rubbing Kagome's arms as she leaned into his side. Then she took a deep breath and said, "It's a long story. I've already told Inuyasha this but I'll say it again. I come from a different world…"

* * *

**It might be short but since this story is drawing to a close I'm not going to drag it out. I think you can guess what happens next. Miya will explain everything. If you still have questions, let me know and I'll see if I can put it in the epilogue. If not, I'll just explain in an author's note.**

**With that said, I'm not sure when I'll update next but it'll be soon since I only have one chapter left. Would it be too much trouble to ask for a review please? (puppy dog eyes)  
**


	13. Epilogue

**It took me a couple hours to type this up, which is why I'm beating myself up on the head for not getting my butt in gear earlier. Anyway, enjoy the epilogue. It's really short but that's because it's the end of everything. There might be a sequel. Read more below after you finish.  
**

**Thanks to Half-Demon Cali for reviewing!**

**Half-Demon Cali: It was supposed to be freaky! I'm glad it came across that way.  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but Miya. Not even the reference to Brian Jacques.  
**

* * *

It was a gorgeous day in feudal Japan. The sky was blue, the clouds white, the sun shining, and the birds chirping. Everyone was in a small field in the woods, lying on their backs and simply enjoying the lovely weather. Kagome was curled up by Inuyasha; Sango and Miroku were lying side by side; Miya was resting up against Kirara with Shippo on the feline's head.

There was absolute silence except for the wind rustling the grass. Not one of the friends spoke. It wasn't until a stray cloud covered the sun that Miya roused and sat up, tilting her head back to gaze at the sky.

"Something up, Miya?" Miroku asked, opening an eye.

Miya shook her head. "No."

Inuyasha rested his weight on his elbows, cocking an eyebrow at the girl. "You know that none of us believe you, right?"

Miya sighed. "All right. I was thinking of when I had to leave."

"You have to leave?" Kagome said, frowning. She sat up.

"Yeah. It was never my intention to stay here anyway," Miya said, shrugging. "It was just that you, Kagome, were captured by something that was my business so I had to stay and clear up the mess that was my fault."

"You can stay here, though," Kagome pleaded, not wanting to see her friend go. "There's no need for you to go into hiding."

"Not into hiding," Miya disagreed. "There's no need for that anymore. I just don't belong here. This isn't my world."

"Can you go back?" Sango asked.

"No. I can't." Miya hugged her legs, staring at the grass. "There's nothing there for me anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if my world blew up with how things were escalating."

"And you might not be able to find it," Miroku added.

"Exactly," Miya said with a firm nod.

"But why can't you stay?" Shippo had also joined the conversation. "You're our friend!"

"And you're mine," Miya said, smiling. "But you have a mission here to fulfill."

"You can help us," Inuyasha objected. "Naraku wouldn't stand a chance against you."

"That's just it. This isn't my battle. If the curtain hadn't interfered I would never have met you. You need to face Naraku on your own and find the jewel fragments."

"But the curtain did interfere," Kagome argued. "You're here now. Why can't you stay?"

Miya smiled sadly. "It's not my battle," she repeated. "There are lessons that need to be learned that only you can learn if I leave. I'll only hinder you on these journeys."

"And what if they find us again?" Miroku asked, meaning the shadowy demons of the world between the worlds.

"I'll know," she said simply, pulling at the grass. She didn't uproot anything. "I'm familiar with everything that has to do with you."

"That sounds twisted," Inuyasha muttered.

"It does, doesn't it?" Miya laughed. "But you know what I mean. If something happens I'll definitely find out. No matter where I am."

"Will we see you again?" Kagome asked. "We're going to miss you."

"And I'll miss you. You're the first friends I've had since…well…since _ever_."

"Then why can't you stay?" Sango inquired.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm really going to miss you guys. It's just that I don't belong here and never will. I'm merely a passing visitor."

"Where do you belong?" Shippo said.

"In my world. But since it's already been established that I can't go back, I'll just drift between worlds until I find someplace where I'm destined to be," Miya explained. "Since I'm obviously uprooted from where I would've stayed, it's clear that I was never intended to be there in the grand scheme of things."

"Oh come on," Inuyasha scoffed. "You don't seriously believe there's some grand being out there that's watching our every move?"

"That is my religion, Inuyasha," Miroku reminded him.

"And we all know how well you follow your status of being a monk," Inuyasha retorted. "I thought they were supposed to steer clear of women?"

"Perhaps I'm not quite a _full_ monk," Miroku said delicately, dancing around the subject.

"Regardless…" Miya seemed to be fishing around for something. She finally looked at Kagome. "Have you ever heard of an author that goes by Brian Jacques in your world?"

Kagome furrowed her brow. "He sounds American so probably not. I don't recall hearing that name."

"Well, he writes books. One of them is titled Castaways of the Flying Dutchman and is about a boy and a dog that have been touched by an angel. They are immortal and travel from place to place, helping those in need. While they do long for a home, they can never stop because the gift that the angel has given them is also a curse," Miya said.

"You're likening your situation to one that's in a book?" Miroku asked.

"Yes. It's very similar except that I travel between worlds and not between locations already on one planet." Miya smiled wistfully. "I may not be immortal but I am also displaced, unable to find a proper home. Perhaps they will find rest as I hope to."

"If you have to," Inuyasha said reluctantly. "It would've been nice to see you whoop Naraku's butt, though."

"You'll do that on your own." Miya winked, smiling broadly. "I have no doubts about that."

"Are you leaving soon?" Kagome hoped it wasn't in the near future.

"Perhaps in a few days," Miya said. "I have to wait for an opening."

"You can't just open it?" Miroku looked at her curiously.

"That was just an extreme case," Miya said. "It takes too much energy. I need everything I have in order to face what the curtain holds."

"I thought you said that they wouldn't be after you anymore," Sango said.

"Not in other worlds," Miya corrected. "They'll be after me simply because I'm an intruder. After I'm out, though, they'll leave me alone."

"At least stay with us some more," Shippo implored. "We're going to miss you."

"I'll miss you, too, Shippo." Miya ruffled the kitsune's hair affectionately. "Just don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone, will you? You know how lonely Inuyasha will get without your pranks!"

Inuyasha promptly scowled. "I will not get lonely!"

"Sure."

* * *

**The next day… Nighttime…**

"Is there something you wanted, Miya?" Kagome sat next to her friend on Kaede's roof. She'd gotten up with help from her friend's mind powers.

"Just to talk," Miya said, clearing a space next to her. The wind was blowing strongly but not strong to blow them off.

"About anything important?" Kagome sat next to her.

"You and Inuyasha." Miya observed Kagome's reaction out of the corner of her eye. She was not disappointed as she was met with a furious blush.

"What do you have to talk about?" Kagome was looking everywhere but at Miya. "We're friends."

"It's more than that," Miya disagreed. "Take some advice from a friend, all right?"

"Can this advice be given later?" Kagome asked, fiddling with her fingers.

"I'm going to be leaving later tonight," Miya said gently.

"What? Why?" Kagome objected. "I thought you said you'd be leaving in a couple of days! That was yesterday!"

"I miscalculated," Miya said apologetically. "The opening came sooner than expected."

"Can't you wait for the next one?"

"It's time, Kagome. It's why I wanted to talk to you about Inuyasha."

"We're friends," Kagome repeated. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Seize the chances before they're gone," Miya advised. "There will come a time that you'll regret not coming clean about your feelings towards him. If you tell him first he'll tell you, too. He's just not sure about how you feel towards him."

Kagome sighed, her arms slipping between her knees as she drew them up. "How? I-I'm not even sure if he feels the same way! What if I end up making a fool of myself?"

"You won't," Miya said reassuringly. "I believe in you. Have a little faith in Inuyasha, too. You already know what he's feeling."

"I do?"

"You do," Miya said firmly. "Remember what your nightmare was about? Your nightmare about Inuyasha was the worst."

"You know?" Kagome's cheeks flushed even as she thought back to that horrifying time.

"I was the one who broke you out of it," Miya reminded her. "I was there in your mind. You heard my voice, didn't you?"

"I did," Kagome admitted. "Thank you for that. So much."

"It was what anybody else would've done," Miya brushed it off. "I'm your friend, Kagome. And that's why I'm trying to push you two together," she added slyly, throwing her a sidelong glance.

Kagome groaned dramatically. "And thanks for that."

"You're welcome," Miya said nonchalantly, smiling. "Think about what I said, all right?"

"You're leaving now?" Kagome looked unhappy.

"We'll see each other again," Miya promised. "I can promise you that."

"Thanks," Kagome murmured. She smiled weakly. "I'll hold you to that."

"Wouldn't take it any other way." Miya hitched up her new quiver of arrows and bow, giving Kagome one last smile. "'Till next time." She jumped down from the roof, landing neatly.

"Yeah," Kagome said softly, not sure if Miya heard her. "Be safe."

Apparently, Miya did hear her because just before she disappeared into the forest, she looked back and waved, giving Kagome a thumbs up, too. Then she was gone.

Kagome sighed and stood up on the roof, her hair being blown to one side by the wind. She stared up at the waning moon and wondered when she would see her friend again. She would have to talk to Inuyasha very soon. A mild blush covered her cheeks when she considered what she would have to talk to him about.

'_Trust him,_' she told herself firmly. '_That's what she said._'

Trust him. Just like she would trust herself to finish what they had started with Naraku.

It was odd, how a chance encounter with a strange girl who had literally come out of nowhere could change everything. Completely odd. But then, Kagome's life had never been simple.

Indeed, it had never been simple.

* * *

**I feel sorta depressed that my first ever fanfic is finished. But not very much. I have more time for my other fics now. I have to thank my readers (few as they are) for reading this story. Thanks so much, Half-Demon Cali and KiraraTwoTail! Would you two mind dropping a REVIEW?  
**

**By the way, Castaways of the Flying Dutchman is a real book by Brian Jacques. All his books are great reads and I totally recommend reading them. In other news, I am considering a sequel to this story titled Twisted Fates. Here's a summary of what it would be about:** There has been a twist in the fabric of the world between the worlds. Not a big problem, right? Wrong. Inuyasha and the gang never met up thanks to the world between the worlds interfering with the Bone Eater's Well. Inuyasha is still stuck on the tree, Miroku is doomed, Sango has her family, Shippo lives with his father, and Kagome never heard of the feudal era. When Miya finds out, it's up to her to figure out how to get the gang together again and fix the problem.

**It will not be up soon because I have more important fics to focus on. I would recommend keeping this story on Story Alert because when I post it, I'll add an author's note alerting you. Thanks a bunch for staying with me throughout this fic!**


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